University of San Francisco Athletics

Complete match notes (PDF)

USF vs. Gonzaga
Match 14
Thursday, Oct. 3 @ 6 p.m.

Broadcast Information
Thursday's contest is the West Coast Conference Game of the Week, to be broadcast on TheW.tv - All the action. Anytime. Anywhere.

San Francisco Dons 6-7 (2-1 WCC)		Gonzaga Bulldogs 5-8 (1-3 WCC)
672  .241  610  73 729  103.0	KILLS ATTACK PCT. ASSISTS ACES DIGS TOTAL BLOCKS	601 .212 574 59 587 137.0
All-Time vs. Bulldogs: 27-27 Home: 15-12 || Away 12:15 Last meeting: Nov. 3, 2012; W 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-17)

 

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#WeAreSF
The University of San Francisco women's volleyball hosts its first West Coast Conference opponent of 2013, welcoming Gonzaga to the Hilltop for Thursday night's WCC Game of the Week. The match will be contested on the recently-released TheW.tv, the home for WCC sports action on both linear television and in the digital space. George Devine, long-time voice of USF women's basketball, will be handling play-by-play duties alongside analyst John Stege.

USF enters the match on a two-game conference winning streak against formidible foes. The Dons bested Pepperdine in Malibu for just the second time in school history before following it up with a come-from-behind win at Santa Clara in last week's only game for the Green and Gold.

USF junior Valentina Zaloznik is leading the way with 161 total kills on a .358 attack percentage, 17 service aces and 53 total blocks. In the Dons' contest at Santa Clara, the native of Ljubno ob Savinji, Slovenia, moved to 20th on the all-time kills list passing Deanne Anastas and Kelly Harris. With 700 total kills, Zaloznik is seven away from moving up to 19th in the record books.

But along with Zaloznik, every player on the roster is making vital contributions early in the season to contribute to the Dons' success. Since conference play has started, Zaloznik's 42 kills is leading the team, but freshman Katarina Pilepic is right behind with 39, and three others have notched double-digit kill tallies through three matches. Mackenzie Murtagh has taken the lead setting role with 69 assists, and Kiara McKibben has added 29 to help the Dons. Seven women have at least 12 digs in WCC action, with Ester de Vries' 32 leading the way. Zaloznik, de Vries and Emily Reed have each added four aces apiece in conference play as the Dons move to the third week of matches.

"As we're, gelling everybody knows that they have a part," head coach Gilad Doron said. "The upperclassmen and the younger players, they've all joined together and they are looking at how can we win the next point versus who gets it. And that's the thing that's helped us to a good start, and hopefully will help us to have a good continuation."

Along with being the first time the Dons have been home in three weeks, the Gonzaga match is part of Pink Week on the Hilltop, where USF is partnering with the American Cancer Society and Making Strides to support cancer research. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and RSVP to the event on Facebook. Along with Pink Week festivities, USF volleyball will be signing autographs after the match.

"It's always great when you can play at home in front of your fans," Doron said. "Being the way the schedule was, we were three weeks in a row on the road and it seems like forever since we've been here. We should be ready, we should be excited, and hopefully our fans will come and cheer for us and help us overcome a tough Gonzaga team."
 
Scouting the Bulldogs
Gonzaga is led by Savannah Blinn's 200 kills, whose 4.00 kills per set average is good for second in the WCC. Lauren Joseph comes in as the leading assist-getter, averaging 5.06 per set and Kathleen Wright's 3.26 digs per set is tops on the team. Gonzaga is coming off a 3-1 loss against Pepperdine last Saturday after picking up its first league win of the year against Loyola Marymount at home on Thursday.

"I think their record doesn't show how tough they can be," head coach Gilad Doron said of the Bulldogs. "They obviously had a huge win over LMU last week, and they also went five with Washington earlier in the year. They're definitely battling and fighting and it's always a tough battle between us. Over the years, it seems like both teams always play to the end. We're going to have to be prepared."
 
Potent Quotables
"At this point, it's great to see that the freshmen have taken advantage of their opportunities and hopefully they will build their confidence and they will be ready to give us more as the competition continues to get intense. Teams are going to scout and they're going to have to continue to develop, but it's great to see the players that you bring in fit into the team and the chemistry that we have and contribute right away. That's what you hope for when you bring them here and obviously they got a chance and they're stepping it up." – Doron on the newcomers
 
Santa Clara Comeback
A late-match surge was seen at Santa Clara's Leavey Center, where the Dons rallied to overcome a two-set deficit before earning a hard-faught 3-2 win over the Broncos. Down to match-point in the third with the score at 24-20, USF thwarted Santa Clara's bid for the sweep and turned the tables to reign victorious, finishing the decisive fifth set with a 15-8 win.
 
Wave Crashers
Led by Valentina Zaloznik's 22 kills, Mackenzie Murtagh's 26 assists and 19 digs from Rebecca Kopilovitch, USF posted just its second win ever in Malibu on Sept. 21. USF capitalized on late Waves mistakes, stellar attacking and stalwart defense in the final two sets, outhitting Pepperdine .420 to .000 in the last two frames of the five-set affair. USF's only other win at Pepperdine in 29 meetings was a 3-2 victory Oct. 22, 2009.
 
All-Tournament Accolades
Senior Malina Terrell was honored at the Blue Raider Bash, that featured Notre Dame, North Carolina and Middle Tennessee State in the season-opening weekend. Two Dons were tapped for the all-tournament team at San Diego State's Aztec Invitational, with Valentina Zaloznik earning a nod alongside freshman Katarina Pilepic. The Dons went 3-1 on the weekend, picking up wins against SMU, Northeastern and Harvard.
 
Home is Where the Heart Is
... and for the USF volleyball team, their heart is in the City by the Bay. All told, the Dons have traveled more the 53,220 miles from Hometown to the Hilltop, and the roster represents six countries and three states.
 
Get Connected
Fans can keep up on the latest in USF Athletics in a variety of ways.
Follow USF Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ DonsAthletics
Follow USF volleyball on Facebook at www.facebook.com/University.of.SanFrancisco.Volleyball
Check out video of the Dons in action at www.youtube.com/usfdonsathletics