Kia Vaalavirta

HONORS & AWARDS
- WCC All-Academic First Team - 2019-2020

2022-2023 (GRADUATE STUDENT):

Appeared in all 32 games for San Francisco, making 29 starts, averaging 5.1 points on a career-high 45% shooting in 17.4 minutes per game
Totaled a career-high 79 rebounds on the season
Scored a season-high 12 points on 5/9 shooting against Pacific on 1/12/23; also tied her rebounding career-high with 7 boards
Closed out her collegiate career at Washington in the First Round of the WNIT on 3/16/23, scoring 9 points on 4/6 shooting in 25 minutes of play

2021-2022 (SENIOR):

Competed in 30 games this season for the Dons, including making three appearances in the starting lineup.
Played in 383 minutes for an average of 12.8 minutes played per contest.
Shot 32.9 percent from the field (25-76) and 32.3 percent from three-point distance (10-31).
Scored a season-high of 11 points in USF's road win over Tulsa on Dec. 22 while logging a season-high 26 minutes and scoring seven points and grabbing seven rebounds against Pacific in Stockton to help the Dons secure the road victory.
Finished her season by scoring three points in 24 minutes against Air Force in the WNIT.

2020-2021 (JUNIOR):

Played in 27 games all off the bench.
Logged 314 minutes averaging 11.7 minutes per contest.
Scored 88 points, averaging 3.3 points per game, while shooting 43.8 percent from the field (28-for-68), and 42.4 percent from 3-point range (14-for-33)...finished with two games in double figures.
Scored a season-high 11 points against Gonzaga on Jan. 16 going 4-for-7 from the field, had 11 in the Dons home win over Santa Clara where she was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.
Finished the year with nine points in the loss against California Baptist in the second round of the WNIT.

2019-2020 (SOPHOMORE):

Played in 29 of the Dons 31 games with 23 starts.
Was moved into the starting point guard role on Dec. 14 after numerous injuries depleted the Dons roster, and she shined there, setting or tying single-game career highs in four different categories and setting new season career highs in seven categories.
Named to the West Coast Conference All-Academic First Team after serving as the Dons starting point guard for most of the season while carrying a 3.92 cumulative GPA in biology.
In her second year of college basketball, set new season highs in points (170, 5.9 per game), free-throw percentage (74.4%), 3-pointers made (28), assists (64) steals (24) and blocks (3).
Had five double-digit scoring games and made at least one 3-pointer in 18 contests.
Made a career-best six 3s and scored a season-high 18 points in the Dons WCC opener versus Saint Mary's (Dec. 28).
Twice set a new career high for assists in a game, first with seven at Loyola Marymount on Jan. 9, then with eight in USF's 72-66 overtime win at Santa Clara (Feb. 1).
Second on the team with 28 made 3-pointers and a 74.4% free-throw percentage, fourth with a 28.0% 3-point percentage.

2018-2019 (FRESHMAN):

Played in all 31 games during her first collegiate season with 11 starts, playing primarily as a reserve point guard.
Averaged 5.0 points and 2.2 rebounds per game while dishing 27 assists, grabbing 15 steals and shooting 33.3% from the field.
Made her college career debut in the season opener on Nov. 9 at home versus San Jose State where she collected three steals, issued three assists, tallied two rebounds and scored her first career points (2) in the Dons 85-63 victory.
Scored in double figures seven times, including a season-high 20 points in the Dons double-overtime game versus North Dakota on Dec. 21 in Deland, Fla.
She hit 25 3-pointers during the year, shooting 28.4% from deep.
Hit multiple 3-pointers in five games, with four treys on two occasions - Nov. 23 versus Northern Colorado and Dec. 29 versus San Diego.
Her first career 3-pointer came versus Cal Poly in Seaside, CA, a buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter during the Dons 65-62 win over the Mustangs.

PRIOR TO USF:

Was a two-time Finnish national champion with her U-16 club team, Tapiolan Honka.
Also placed second in the Finnish Women's League - the highest level in Finland - with Espoo United in 2017.
Averaged an impressive 14.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists while playing in the Finland Women's Division I, earning her Best "6th Man" Honors from the league.
An all-around contributor while playing in U-16 and U-18 basketball in her home country of Finland, she averaged 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.4 steals in over 80 games played during those competitions.
Helped lead her U-19 Tapiolan Honka club team to two top-three finishes at the national level.