#WeAreSF
The San Francisco volleyball team split its last weekend at home, falling to Gonzaga in five before picking up the five-set victory over Portland. The loss to the Zags was USF's first home defeat of the 2014 campaign. Dons now embark on a four-match road stretch, its longest of the season. USF has not picked up a victory in a true road game thus far, and an upset at Loyola Marymount is the first chance of the road swing, and the fifth try against a ranked opponent.
What 2 Watch 4
San Francisco's Valentina Zaloznik continues to be a dominant force for the Dons in her senior season, compiling 206 kills on .343 hitting and a team-high 79 blocks.Â
Offensively, Katarina Pilepic  is leads the squad in kills with 242 to go with 43 blocks. Freshman Kim Gutierrez is leading the defensive charge, amassing 305 digs, and three other Dons have compiled at least 100 digs on the year. Kiara McKibben took over primary setting duties in 2014 and has assisted on 583 scoring plays for the Dons, an average of 8.57 assists per set.In USF's most recent contest, career highs were registered by Pilepic (26 kills), McKibben (58 assists, 18 digs), Gutierrez (32 digs) and Zaloznik (12 digs).
Know the Foe
No. 24 Loyola Marymount enters the weekend touting a 16-2 record, and a 4-2 mark in WCC play. The Lions are a perfect 6-0 at home on the season, and the Dons are looking to disrupt the streak. Loyola Marymount is paced by a trio of attackers who have registered at least 200 kills, headed by Caitlin DeWitt's 250 kills (3.97 per set). Setter Hannah Tedrow assists on 11.98 balls per set, to tally a conference-leading 755 assists on the year. Litara Keil leads the charge on the block, registered 75 total blocks, or 1.23 per set, while four women have at least 100 digs on the season, headed by Kristen Castellanos (255). LMU is leading the league in assists and kills per set.
Pepperdine, USF's Saturday foe, stands at 7-11 (2-4 WCC) entering the weekend's contest. The Waves are propelled offensively by Jillian Bergeson (187 kills and Gaby Palmeri (185 kills). Setting duties fall primarily to Becca Stehlow, who assists on 6.74 plays per set. Pepperdine is coming off a 3-0 home loss to Loyola Marymount and has dropped four of its last five matches.
USF Versus
All-time vs. Loyola Marymount Lions: 16-43 (6-24 in LA)
Current streak: W1  • Last meeting: 11/23/13 (H) • W, 3-0
27-25, 25-22, 25-21
All-time vs. Pepperdine Waves:Â 6-52 (2-27 in Malibu)
Current streak: W3  • Last meeting: 11/21/13 (H) • W, 3-0
26-24, 25-23, 25-17
Last Time Out
After dropping its first match at home since the 2013 season, the Dons rebounded to take down Portland 3-2. USF got banner days from a pair of sophomores as Katarina Pilepic finished with 26 kills and four blocks while Kiara McKibben assisted on 58 of USF's 70 offensive plays for the point. Five women recorded double-digit dig efforts, led by freshman Kim Gutierrez' tally of 32 as McKibben and Valentina Zaloznik each registered double-doubles in the scrappy victory at War Memorial Gym. [match recap]
Records Watch - Valentina Zaloznik
The senior from Ljubno ob Savinji, Slovenia, is racing up the record books in myriad categories:
 5.   Total Blocks - 379
 7.   Solo Blocks - 72
 8.     Aces - 102
 9.     Kills - 1049
After compiling 13 kills on 14 attempts with no errors, or .929, in USF's sweep of Fordham on Aug. 30, she now owns the single-match record for hitting percentage.Â
Zaloznik needs four more kills to move up to eighth on the all-time lists, and 18 move to seventh. She needs two more aces to stand at seventh in the record books.Â
A Look Ahead
The Dons hit the road for their longest road trip of the season for four straight road contests. After the pair of matches in Southern California, USF will play close-to-home foes Pacific and Saint Mary's. The meeting with the Gaels will be the second of the year, as USF swept the Bay Bridge rival on Sept. 30.
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 |
