Video - Pilepic records No. 1,000

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco volleyball enjoyed a momentous day on the Hilltop, with Senior Day celebrations and milestone performances Saturday afternoon at War Memorial Gym.

The Dons stepped on the home court for the final time in 2015, bidding a formal farewell to five seniors – student-athletes Jessica Keenan, Courtney Sabahi, Sara Staengle and Jurja Vlasic, and Director of Operations Thiago Lopes.
 After each senior was recognized for their individual accomplishments for the Green and Gold, the squad went to battle against a tough Loyola Marymount team. The Dons had chances to tame the Lions in each of the afternoon sets, but USF fell 25-22, 25-19, 25-22.  Despite the unfortunate overall result, USF junior Katarina Pilepic used the final match on the home hardwood to reach individual milestone marks.

The native of Novi Vinodolski, Croatia, led the Dons with 15 kills, and opened the match with career kill No. 1,000 on the first point of game action.Along with the thundering hit to reach a grand, Pilepic climbed to 10th on the all-time kills list, passing up Chiara Lawrence (1993-96; 1,011 kills). She now stands as the 11th Don in program history to reach the 1,000-kill plateau, with just over a year remaining in her collegiate career.

The Dons raced out to the 5-1 lead in the set, with three kills for Pilepic in the early-goings of the set. USF held the 9-5 lead after Jessica Gaffney's kill off the assist from Vlasic found the floor and forced the Lions to take an early timeout. With the Loyola Marymount offense settled, the visitors went on the attack to knot the frame at 14 apiece after Rachell Suaava and Hanna Tedrow combined for the block.

The Lions edged to the lead on the ensuing point, but the Dons clawed back out in front after Oluoma Okaro passed to Pilepic for the points to put the score at 22-21. Loyola Marymount scored the last four in the frame to record the 25-22 victory. The Lions kept the momentum going in the second set, racing to the 5-1 lead. Loyola Marymount grew the advantage to six points after Jamie Lea's attack made it 16-10 and the Dons were compelled to use a timeout. USF closed the gap to 21-18 after an error at the service line for the Lions, but Sarah Sponcil's three consecutive kills helped lead Loyola Marymount to the 25-19 win in the frame.

The third set was a see-saw battle, with eight tie scores and four lead changes. The Dons again found themselves in front early, with the 7-4 lead after a Loyola Marymount offensive miscue. The Lions were able to close the margin with Hannah Tedrow manning the service line, and Loyola Marymount nabbed the lead off a Sponcil blast made it 11-10. The Dons stayed within striking distance after Pilepic's kill made it 20-18, but the Lions managed to finish it out with a final score of 25-22 in the third.
Along with Pilepic's 15 kills, Sabahi added seven kills on a team-best .308 hitting, and Vlasic finished with a team-best 22 assists on the day. Stangle and Kiara McKibben finished with eight digs each, and Madison Murtagh tallied four total blocks for the Dons. With the win, the Lions improve to 20-8 on the year, and 11-5 in West Coast Conference play, while USF moves to 16-12 (3-12 WCC).

USF still has three matches remaining on the schedule, and San Diego is next on the docket. The Dons travel to take on the Toreros on Thursday at 7 p.m.