TAMPA, Fla. — The USF women's volleyball got off to a rough start to the regular season.
Head coach Jolene Shepardson said there were heart-to-heart conversations with her players about being themselves and playing as a collective unit to get better results.
The conversations worked.
USF went 3-0 at last week's Florida Invitational in Gainesville, including an upset over the tenth-ranked host school. It was the program's first-ever top-ten win, their first road win at Florida and their first victory over the Gators since 1990.
"We had to go to their house and play that intense volleyball. It was fabulous," Shepardson said before Wednesday's practice. "To capitalize the next day, turn around after five sets, play another five sets, persevere through that. To close out the whole weekend—it’s something to build off of, for sure."
Jacksonville Beach native Ally Cavanaugh grew up cheering for the Gators. She said getting a little dose of deja vu was a pretty special moment.
"I really did go to all their games when I was little. We’d always drive down to Gainesville, and I’d always cheer them on," Cavanaugh recalled. "Playing in that gym, and knowing there were so many other girls like me in that gym… being able to beat them, it was just such a cool moment. For me, growing up going to their games, now, I’m playing there. It was awesome."
Cavanaugh's performance in the tournament earned her AAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Not bad for a redshirt freshman who transferred to USF after not getting any playing time at the University of Georgia.
"All the girls were super supportive. And I think having all that support from my teammates and coaches, it really helped me develop into the player that I knew I could be," she said. "I still have so much to learn. I’m just really excited to keep getting great coaching and get better."
One thing Cavanaugh was introduced to was the playlist of high-energy music that plays through most of the practice. It's something to keep positive vibes flowing while work is getting done.
"We’re all working so hard during practice, and then one song will come on and we get to dance and have a good time," she joked. "That kind of just flows into the rest of practice. We all just keep working hard, and we’re all having a good time with each other."
Now, the key is for the Bulls to continue their run of success moving forward.
"I want them to feel that joy of what they did and how they executed. And to know that they can go in and create that against any opponent," Shepardson added.
"We have so much to build on. Obviously last weekend was great, but we can do so much more," Cavanaugh explained. "We’re going to keep rising and keep rising to the competition."
USF opens its home schedule tonight with a match against North Florida at 6 p.m. The Bulls will take on North Carolina St. on Saturday at 2 p.m. at The Corral.
