Women's Volleyball | 11/23/2015 11:45:00 AM

Complete match notes (PDF)

Match 30: USF (16-14, 3-14 WCC) at Saint Mary's (6-21, 1-16 WCC)
Tuesday, Nov. 24 | 7 p.m. | McKeon Pavilion
Series record: Tied 38-38; USF is 12-31 away
Trends - Current streak: W1 | Last 5: 3-2 | Last 10: 4-6
Last meeting: Last meeting: 10/22/15 (H); W, 3-0 • 25-21, 25-18, 25-21
Stream/Stats/Social at the WCC Game Center

#15sports1team
The Dons close the 2015 season against Bay Area rival Saint Mary's Tuesday at McKeon Pavilion.

Despite the rough close to the year, the Dons are guaranteed a winning season for the first time since 2012, propelled by a 13-0 non-conference record. Currently, USF is looking to break a eight-match slide.

What 2 Watch 4

---

Katarina Pilepic leads the squad in total kills (393), kills per set (3.78) and points (439.0), standing in the WCC top 10 in each category. 

Freshman Madison Murtagh has been a stout presence at the net, compiling 115 total blocks to rate eighth overall in the WCC. She stands in third in the conference in hitting percentage with a mark of .314, and sophomore Oluoma Okaro is one spot behind, hitting .311 on the season.

Setting duties have been split between the duo of Kiara McKibben and Jurja Vlasic, with McKibben pacing the team with 661 assists for the Dons. Libero Kim Gutierrez leads the squad with 292 digs, or 4.00 per set, to help anchor USF's defensive efforts, but she sophomore from National City, Calif., has been sidelined with injury in recent matches.

Know the Foe

---

Saint Mary's enters their Senior Day match with a 6-21 overall record and a 1-16 mark in conference play. The last win of the season for the Gaels was a 3-1 win at Pepperdine on Oct. 1.  

The Gaels have four women averaging over two kills per set and Mary Hernandez directs the offense with 9.75 assists per set. Madi Wilkerson helps anchor the defense with 3.91 digs per set.  Lindsey Knudsen's 266 kills and 23 aces both rate as team-bests.

Take Two with the Gaels

---

Hungry for victory, the San Francisco volleyball team got straight to business in a three-set sweep of Saint Mary's to even the all-time series with the Gaels at 38 apiece.

Katarina Pilepic led all scorers with 13 kills on the night to go along with 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the year. Oluoma Okaro hit an efficient .571 for the Dons to finish with 10 kills, and Sara Stangle put down nine points on .500 hitting to help the offensive charge. Kiara McKibben and Jurja Vlasic combined for 40 of USF's 47 assists, and libero Kim Gutierrez was back on the court after a week off to finish with 11 digs and seven assists.

Last Time Out

---

USF gave their all against the No. 12 BYU Cougars before falling 3-0 at Smith Fieldhouse.

The Dons were solid on the net, holding the nation's 12th-best blocking team to six total blocks on the day, while the Dons tallied five blocks of their own. Despite the loss, USF head coach Gilad Doron noted the positives the squad can take out of the performance.

"I thought we played very well today against a very, very tough team a home," said Gilad Doron. "Game one, we matched them step for step. I thought our offense got stronger as the game progressed as I saw some growth again in our young players and they stepped it up when we needed them to."

The Dons were paced by 11 kills for junior Katarina Pilepic, and Emily Reed added six kills on .286 hitting. Kiara McKibben assisted on 23 points and finished with a team-high seven digs for the Dons. All-American Alexa Gray was the leader for the Cougars, compiling 19 kills on .372 hitting and nine digs.

Momentous Milestones

---

Katarina Pilepic, junior from Novi Vinodolski, Croatia, notched career kill No. 1,000 on the first point of game action against Loyola Marymount. 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.

Setter Kiara McKibben surpassed the 2,000-assist mark on USF's swing to San Diego and BYU, standing at 2,033 career assists for the Green and Gold.

Get Connected

---

Fans can follow the Dons in a variety of ways:
Via the departmental Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat with the username donsathletics.
Through team-specific Twitter (@USFDonsVB) and Facebook (University.of.San.Francisco.Volleyball)
On YouTube at USFDonsAthletics, where fans can view video segments online
On Comcast SportsNet California in USF Athletics' monthly show, "Behind the Mask"
With previews, recaps, videos, features and more as seen on USFDons.com