TAMPA - The University of South Florida volleyball team wraps up its final regular season conference matches against the Blue Demons of DePaul, Friday at 6 p.m., and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, Sunday at 2 p.m. "I look forward to a weekend of competitive BIG EAST volleyball," said head coach Claire Lessinger. "Both opponents will be bringing their "A" games and we expect that.  There is never a dull moment in the BIG EAST and we hope to keep it exciting this weekend."

USF (16-7 overall, 8-4 BIG EAST) recently qualified for a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament and is fighting for its rank in the tournament. The Blue Demons (6-21 overall, 0-12 BIG EAST) have yet to win a conference match this season, while the No. 24 Fighting Irish (18-4 overall, 12-0 BIG EAST) are currently undefeated in the BIG EAST.

Last Time Out
USF split the weekend, defeating Louisville in three sets but falling to Cincinnati in three sets.

Senior Marcela Gurgel had one of her best matches of the year against the Cardinals, posting 18 kills on a .385 attack percentage, while Allie Boaz knocked down 10 kills and added five blocks. Freshman transfer Janice Rivera posted a match-high 16 digs, while junior Mariana Thon handed out a match-best 30 assists. Senior Pamela Luiz added eight kills and seven digs.

Against UC, the Bulls were led by Gurgel with 10 kills, four digs and three blocks, and Thon, who had a team-high 15 assists with seven digs. Senior Alli Arbogast added seven kills and four blocks and moved into a tie for second in USF annals in block assists. Gurgel took sole possession of second place on USF's all-time kills mark as well.

National Rankings
Arbogast continues to rank in the top-10 of the national leader board for the sixth week in a row, as she holds down the No. 3 place in blocks per set with 1.59, with the top player of the nation at 1.70. Redshirt freshman Caitlyn Breen finds herself 58th with 1.16 blocks and leads all freshmen in the BIG EAST. Gurgel currently ranks 54th in the nation in kills per set with 3.96. As a team, the Bulls remain fifth in the country in blocks, averaging 2.93 per set.

Scouting DePaul
DePaul completed its final road trip of the season, heading east to face Syracuse before returning to the Midwest to take on Marquette. The Blue Demons suffered two straight-set losses and fell to 0-12 in the BIG EAST.

Freshman Chandler Carney tallied a team-best 17 kills on the weekend, while senior Sarah Cullen tagged on an additional 16.

The Series History with the Blue Demons
The match against DePaul will mark the 18th meeting between the teams. USF leads the series, 12-5, with the Bulls defeating the Blue Demons the past three years.

Scouting Notre Dame
Syracuse recorded eight blocks and held Notre Dame to a season-low 15 points in the opening frame of Sunday's match but the Irish rallied back to sweep the remaining sets while snapping the Orange's 10-match home winning streak.

Notre Dame kept its own streak alive by winning its 12th consecutive match, and has now won at least 11 BIG EAST regular season contests for the seventh time since joining the league in 1995.

Notre Dame is now 7-0 in four-set matches this season and has won eight of nine contests on the road. Thirty ties and 13 lead changes marked Notre Dame's victory at Marquette. Notre Dame was aided by 15.0 blocks including eight apiece from Hilary Eppink and Serinity Phillips.

The Series History with the Fighting Irish
The match against Notre Dame will mark the fifth meeting between the teams, all coming in BIG EAST play. Notre Dame leads the series, 4-0.

DePaul and Notre Dame Live Chat and Twitter Updates
GoUSFBulls.com will be hosting a live chat during the Bulls matchups with DePaul and Notre Dame. Please check out GoUSFBulls.com to join in. USF will also post updates on Twitter during the matches against the Blue Demons and the Fighting Irish under @usfvolleyball.