Box Score SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The San Francisco Dons volleyball team won the 2012 Asics Powerade Challenge defeating Cal State Northridge in straight sets, 25-18, 25-21, 25-18, Saturday night. USF finished the tournament with a perfect 3-0 record, winning nine of 10 total sets across three matches.
Three Dons –
Jocelyn Levig,
Valentina Zaloznik and
Leanna Ludes - were named to the All-Tournament team. Ludes, a senior setter, was named the 2012 Asics Powerade Challenge Most Valuable Player, tallying a 32-assist, 10-dig double-double in the final match.
In USF's three tournament matches, Ludes played in all 10 sets while accumulating 113 assists (11.30 assists per set), 28 digs, four kills and two aces. Levig led USF with 34 kills in three matches, attacking at a .273 clip. Zaloznik finished second on the team with 31 kills, but led the Dons with a gaudy .391 attack percentage in addition to nine blocks (one solo and nine assists).
USF improved to 7-3 with the victory, while the Matadors fell to 6-3.
San Francisco took control from the opening tip of the first set, taking the first point on a service error. The Dons would go on to win the first set 25-18. Six Dons tallied at least one kill in the opening stanza, led by Levig's four. Ludes added 10 assists and six digs to setup the offense and lead the defense for USF.
The Matadors pushed the Dons to the brink in the second set, but USF came through down the stretch, winning 25-21. The Dons hit only .162, but Northridge committed nine errors for the second consecutive set.
Rebecca Kopilovitch was brilliant defensively, finishing the first two sets with 12 digs to lead all players.
USF sensed victory and kept the pressure on Northridge, winning the third and deciding set by seven points, 25-18. The Dons played by far their best set of the match, attacking at a .429 percentage (16 kills, one errors, 35 attempts). Kopilovitch continued her stellar defensive play, finishing the night with 16 digs.
Ester de Vries added 11 kills and six digs to seal the Dons victory.
San Francisco returns to play on September 11 at 7:00 p.m. as it travels north to face UC Davis.
