Friday, March 21
Berkeley, Calif.
3:30 p.m.
University of San Francisco
3
at
2
California
Freshman Katarina Pilepic finished with 13 kills, 17 digs, five aces and three blocks en route to a win with partner Courtney Sabahi.
Dons Down Cal Bears 3-2 to Open Season
3/21/2014 11:40:00 PM | Beach Volleyball
BERKELEY, Calif. – The San Francisco sand volleyball team opened its 2014 campaign with an exciting 3-2 victory over California Friday afternoon at the Clark Kerr Sand Courts.
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The Dons opened the day with a tough three-set loss at the No. 4 position, as the tandem of Rebecca Kopilovitch and Anja Segota fell behind in the match after dropping a first set that went to extra points. The duo battled back to take the second by a score of 21-19 to force a decisive third set. Cal's Katarina Milosavljevic and Sabrina Blackwell dominated the final frame to put the Bears on top for what would prove to be their only time of the match.
Emily Reed and Inbar Vinarsky also played a three-setter at the No. 5 position. The duo fell behind after the opening set and then regrouped to take the second 21-19. Reed and Vinarsky closed with a 15-13 victory in the final set to even the overall match score.
The No. 3 pairing of Katarina Pilepic and Courtney Sabahi dispatched Cal's Maddy Kerr and Nikki Gombar in a tight two-set match, winning 22-20, 21-19. The next court to finish was the No. 1 duo of Sara Staengle and Valentina Zaloznik, the only USF pairing from one year ago. Staengle and Zaloznik took two frames to down Adrienne Gehan and Joan Caloiaro and clinch the victory for the Dons.
The final court to finish was the tandem of Malina Terrell and Jurja Vlasic. After falling behind in the first, the USF pair evened the score in the second to force a third frame with the eyes of everyone firmly upon them. Lara Vukasovic and Sarah Cole edged out a 15-11 win in the third set to give the Bears their second point on the day. Vukasovic and Cole, a coupling of sophomores for Cal, move to 3-0 on the sand this season and the Dons were the first opponents to take a set from the pair.
Statistically, each woman who took to the court for USF made significant contributions. Pilepic's stat line proved to be one of the most impressive of the day, as the freshman from Novi Vinodolski, Croatia, finished with 13 kills, 17 digs, five service aces and three blocks in her two-set match.
Reed and Terrell both finished with a team-high 18 kills. Reed, a freshman from Sunnyvale, Calif., added 24 digs and two aces in her victory. Terrell, playing near her hometown of Richmond, Calif., coupled her 18 kills with 20 digs and two blocks for the Dons.
California, playing in its third match of the season, moves to 1-2 on the season with the loss. With the win, the Dons have taken victories in each of the last four meetings sweeping the Bears in the 2012 indoor season and taking the sand match in Berkeley in last year's dual.
According to Cal head coach Rich Feller, his No. 2 team will square off with Gehan and Caloiaro in practice for the chance to overtake the top spot in the Bears' lineup, and USF's Gilad Doron agreed with the estimation that Vukasovic and Cole were the top team of the day.
"[Vukasovic and Cole] are their best team," Doron said. "I thought Jurja and Malina had some amazing rallies, but everybody came through and played really well and it's a good starting point. I think it's great for us to get a win in our first competition of the year at Cal, our second year to come up to Berkeley. I'm proud of the team, and proud of the girls to come in with six practices and get a win. We'll see what's coming up next."
What's next will prove to be a stout day in the sand for the Dons. USF hosts the San Francisco Invitational, welcoming top-notch teams to Piper Park in Larkspur, Calif. No. 3 Hawaii will battle No. 6 UCLA Saturday at 9 a.m., to kick off the first-ever hosted event on the sand for the Dons. Then, USF will match up with Hawaii at noon before taking on the Bruins at 3 p.m.
San Francisco 3, California 2
March 21 | Clark Kerr Sand Courts | Berkeley, Calif.
No. 1 – Sara Staengle/ Valentina Zaloznik (USF) def. Adrienne Gehan/Joan Caloiaro, 21-16, 21-18
No. 2 – Lara Vukasovic/Sarah Cole (Cal) def. Malina Terrell /Jurja Vlasic, 21-16, 16-21, 15-11
No. 3 – Katarina Pilepic/Courtney Sabahi (USF) def. Maddy Kerr/Nikki Gombar, 22-20, 21-19
No. 4 – Katarina Milosavljevic/Sabrina Blackwell (Cal) def. Rebecca Kopilovitch /Anja Segota, 22-20, 19-21, 15-6
No. 5 – Emily Reed/Inbar Vinarsky (USF) def. Caroline Olson/Emily Lunt, 16-21, 21-19, 15-13
Emily Reed and Inbar Vinarsky also played a three-setter at the No. 5 position. The duo fell behind after the opening set and then regrouped to take the second 21-19. Reed and Vinarsky closed with a 15-13 victory in the final set to even the overall match score.
The No. 3 pairing of Katarina Pilepic and Courtney Sabahi dispatched Cal's Maddy Kerr and Nikki Gombar in a tight two-set match, winning 22-20, 21-19. The next court to finish was the No. 1 duo of Sara Staengle and Valentina Zaloznik, the only USF pairing from one year ago. Staengle and Zaloznik took two frames to down Adrienne Gehan and Joan Caloiaro and clinch the victory for the Dons.
The final court to finish was the tandem of Malina Terrell and Jurja Vlasic. After falling behind in the first, the USF pair evened the score in the second to force a third frame with the eyes of everyone firmly upon them. Lara Vukasovic and Sarah Cole edged out a 15-11 win in the third set to give the Bears their second point on the day. Vukasovic and Cole, a coupling of sophomores for Cal, move to 3-0 on the sand this season and the Dons were the first opponents to take a set from the pair.
Statistically, each woman who took to the court for USF made significant contributions. Pilepic's stat line proved to be one of the most impressive of the day, as the freshman from Novi Vinodolski, Croatia, finished with 13 kills, 17 digs, five service aces and three blocks in her two-set match.
Reed and Terrell both finished with a team-high 18 kills. Reed, a freshman from Sunnyvale, Calif., added 24 digs and two aces in her victory. Terrell, playing near her hometown of Richmond, Calif., coupled her 18 kills with 20 digs and two blocks for the Dons.
California, playing in its third match of the season, moves to 1-2 on the season with the loss. With the win, the Dons have taken victories in each of the last four meetings sweeping the Bears in the 2012 indoor season and taking the sand match in Berkeley in last year's dual.
According to Cal head coach Rich Feller, his No. 2 team will square off with Gehan and Caloiaro in practice for the chance to overtake the top spot in the Bears' lineup, and USF's Gilad Doron agreed with the estimation that Vukasovic and Cole were the top team of the day.
"[Vukasovic and Cole] are their best team," Doron said. "I thought Jurja and Malina had some amazing rallies, but everybody came through and played really well and it's a good starting point. I think it's great for us to get a win in our first competition of the year at Cal, our second year to come up to Berkeley. I'm proud of the team, and proud of the girls to come in with six practices and get a win. We'll see what's coming up next."
What's next will prove to be a stout day in the sand for the Dons. USF hosts the San Francisco Invitational, welcoming top-notch teams to Piper Park in Larkspur, Calif. No. 3 Hawaii will battle No. 6 UCLA Saturday at 9 a.m., to kick off the first-ever hosted event on the sand for the Dons. Then, USF will match up with Hawaii at noon before taking on the Bruins at 3 p.m.
San Francisco 3, California 2
March 21 | Clark Kerr Sand Courts | Berkeley, Calif.
No. 1 – Sara Staengle/ Valentina Zaloznik (USF) def. Adrienne Gehan/Joan Caloiaro, 21-16, 21-18
No. 2 – Lara Vukasovic/Sarah Cole (Cal) def. Malina Terrell /Jurja Vlasic, 21-16, 16-21, 15-11
No. 3 – Katarina Pilepic/Courtney Sabahi (USF) def. Maddy Kerr/Nikki Gombar, 22-20, 21-19
No. 4 – Katarina Milosavljevic/Sabrina Blackwell (Cal) def. Rebecca Kopilovitch /Anja Segota, 22-20, 19-21, 15-6
No. 5 – Emily Reed/Inbar Vinarsky (USF) def. Caroline Olson/Emily Lunt, 16-21, 21-19, 15-13
USF | USF vs. San Diego w/ Rob DiToma, Adrian Valdez, and Brendan Burke (Game 3)
Monday, April 13
BSB | USF vs. San Diego Highlights (Game 3)
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BSB | USF vs. San Diego Highlights (Game 2)
Saturday, April 11
USF | USF vs. San Diego w/ Rob DiToma, Jackson Nystrom, Quentin Pohorski (Game 2)
Saturday, April 11
