The University of South Florida women’s volleyball team will play its final non-conference matches of the 2026 season against No. 9 Penn State and No. 16 Tennessee at the Penn State Classic. South Florida will face Penn State at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, in University Park, Pennsylvania, before meeting Tennessee at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at the same location. The Penn State match will air on the Big Ten Network, while the Tennessee match will stream on BTN+.
South Florida’s Penn State Classic Schedule
South Florida will meet Penn State for the fifth time Friday, with the Nittany Lions holding a 4-0 series lead. The match will be the first between the teams at Penn State. South Florida and Tennessee will meet for the fourth time Saturday, and Tennessee leads that series 3-0.
The Tennessee match will be the second neutral-site meeting between the teams. Both matches will take place in University Park, Pennsylvania, as South Florida closes its non-conference schedule against two ranked opponents. The Bulls will look to carry momentum from Paula Tomasa’s production during the previous week.
Paula Tomasa Leads South Florida’s Attack
Tomasa led South Florida and the American Conference with 46 kills during the previous week. She averaged 4.60 kills per set, posted a .314 hitting percentage and led the team with 51.5 points. She also recorded two assists, two service aces, 21 digs and seven blocks.
Tomasa recorded career highs of 19 kills and 13 digs against Dayton. She added 13 kills and a .400 hitting percentage against Michigan. Her 46-kill week gives South Florida an outside hitter producing at a high level before the team’s final non-conference matches.
South Florida Brings a Strong Blocking Profile
South Florida is tied for 26th nationally with 2.68 blocks per set. Amelia Wass de Czege is tied for 24th nationally with 1.42 blocks per set. Iyanna Garvin leads South Florida with a .310 hitting percentage and is three blocks away from 200 career blocks.
Jolene Shepardson Continues South Florida’s Recent Run
Jolene Shepardson is entering her seventh season as the University of South Florida’s head coach in 2026. She led South Florida back to the NCAA Tournament in 2025 for the first time since she was a player in 2002. Shepardson also guided the Bulls to the 2024 American Conference regular-season championship and earned Coach of the Year honors.
South Florida won the American Conference East Division in 2023, reached the NIVC Fab Four and recorded the longest postseason run in program history. The program has won nine Player of the Year honors and four Setter of the Year honors. South Florida volleyball has made eight NCAA Tournament appearances and won 13 conference titles since the program began in 1972.
South Florida plays its home matches at The Corral, a 1,000-seat venue adjacent to the Yuengling Center on the University of South Florida campus in Tampa.
Source: Original report