Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore. - The San Francisco Dons used a balanced attack, including five players with at least five kills, to overwhelm Portland in straight sets 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-19) on Saturday afternoon at the Chiles Center.
Junior outside hitter
Malina Terrell led the way for the Dons (12-6, 3-2 WCC) with nine kills and a gaudy .692 hitting percentage, her highest total of the season. Freshman
Ester de Vries chipped in nine kills of her own to go along with nine digs and a season- and team-high six aces.
"We had a lot of contributions this weekend and I'm very happy we were able to win two matches," Head Coach
Gilad Doron remarked. "The Pacific Northwest has traditionally been difficult for us. We battled hard against Gonzaga and I thought Ester [de Vries] played tremendous there and today we had Malina and Valentina play especially well in the middle."
De Vries entered play with eight aces on the year and nearly doubled her seasn total on Saturday, propelling the Dons on a 10-0 run in the third and deciding set. The Heerlen, Netherlands native sent USF from a 6-6 tie to a 16-6 lead with four aces in the process. Two of de Vries' aces clipped the back line and then her back-to-back aces landed on the right sideline in front of Portland's (6-14, 0-6 WCC) bench.
Terrell's tip kept the 10-0 run going before Portland's Ariel Usher ended the run with a crosscourt kill off of a slide. With the score 24-19 and the Dons on the brink of victory, sophomore
Valentina Zaloznik's kill off an assist from senior setter
Leanna Ludes gave USF its 12th win of the season and its second consecutive WCC road triumph.
San Francisco took the second set 25-23, its narrowest margin of victory on the afternoon. Both teams recorded 14 kills in the the hotly contested frame that saw the Dons trail for the majority of the first half. With the score tied 23-23 a Portland service error gave way to a set-winning kill by Terrell.
The Dons took the first set despite hitting just .146, their lowest total of the match.
Rebecca Kopilovitch anchored the USF defense, registering 13 digs. The Dons' libero has now recorded at least 10 digs in the last 10 matches, and has posted double-digit dig totals in 16-of-18 matches to begin the season.
"We've had different players stepping in and making plays and we served well this weekend," Doron said. "We have to prepare for our next trip for Pepperdine and BYU, which will be a big challenge for us. We just need to work hard this week and get better."
San Francicso returns to action on Oct. 11 at 7:00 p.m. against the No. 23 Pepperdine Waves. The match will mark the third of four straight WCC matches on the road for the Dons.
