MORAGA, Calif. – San Francisco began its first season competing in the NCAA emerging sport of women's sand volleyball against Saint Mary's at Moraga Commons on Wednesday.
“I think it was a great first step,” coach
Eyal Zimet said after the dual match. “This is a great venue here at Moraga and it was a gorgeous day. We couldn't ask for a better day in terms of the weather and the crowd. It was nice to have people around to watch in a great atmosphere.”
The Dons, who have only seen the sand on a limited number of occasions thus far in practice situations, fell to the Gaels by a 5-0 team score.
Despite the loss, there were positive performances throughout the USF team, from the No. 1 pairing down to the exhibition matchup.
Sara Staengle came away with a team-high 14 kills in two sets to lead the Dons. Partner
Valentina Zaloznik recorded nine kills as the pairing's 23-kill total ranked as tops for USF. Staengle's 16 digs and 14 attack attempts rounded out the stat line for the freshman from Sindelfingen, Germany.
“I thought Sara and Valentina competed very hard, and this was the first time they played together in a tournament,” Zimet said. “All of our teams definitely battled even with Saint Mary's. There was not game that was out of our reach today and that's the way we want to be. Every game was our game to take.”
The No. 3 team of
Leanna Ludes and
Anja Segota saw multiple rallies as Segota picked up a two-set double-double. The sophomore from Pula, Croatia, netted 14 digs and 10 kills in two sets. Ludes, a senior from Vancouver, Wash., finished with a team-high 23 digs for the Dons.
The No. 4 pairing of
Malina Terrell and Courtney Sabaki took their match to three sets. Terrell, a junior from Richmond, Calif., finished with 18 digs and 12 kills. On the serve, Terrell got six aces for the Dons. After falling behind with a 21-12 first-set loss, USF rallied to take the second set 21-14 before Saint Mary's managed a 15-11 third-set victory to earn the team point. This marks the first set that the Gaels have dropped through two competitions.
In exhibition play,
Alycia Cox picked up 28 attack attempts, an overall match high on the day. Partner
Jessica Keenan finished with six aces to go with her 22 attack attempts and 12 digs.
“The competitiveness was never a question, and the effort was never a question,” Zimet remarked on the first day of competition. “We have just over a month to prepare for the next time we meet Saint Mary's. I'm looking forward to meeting them here again to see where we are at then. I see the potential for all our teams to get better, get stronger, have better communication and become better outdoor players.”
After a more than a week away from the sand, the Dons meet up with Sacramento State on March 22 at 3:30 p.m.
sand volleyball at SMC 31313 Gallery
