Match 25: USF (16-9, 3-9 WCC) at Santa Clara (18-6, 9-3 WCC)
Thursday, Nov. 5 | 6 p.m. | Leavey CenterSeries record: Santa Clara leads, 61-13
Trends - Current streak: L2 | Last 5: 3-2 | Last 10: 5-5
Last meeting: 10/09/15 (H); L, 0-3 • 21-25, 18-25, 19-25
A Lesson in Resilence
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Congresswoman Jackie Speier has led a life full of resilience, proudly calling herself a three-time loser in the political arena, and living with the mantra "success is never final, and failure is never fatal." Locally, Jackie is known as a fighter. In 1978, as a staff member to then-Congressman Leo Ryan, she was shot five times in Jonestown, Guyana. After becoming the first California state legislator to give birth in office, Rep. Speier suffered personal loss that again put her resilience to the test. Through it all, she has persevered, and she shared her inspiring story with the San Francisco volleyball team on a recent visit to the University.
"I really feel an obligation to help women exceed their goals, and recognizing that they are part of making sure this country stays on firm footing of equality and justice for all."
#15sports1team
The Dons finish up a three-game road swing in its lone match of the week, facing up with rival Santa Clara on Thursday. USF is looking to rebound after suffering two losses in its trek to the Pacific Northwest.
What 2 Watch 4
Katarina Pilepic leads the squad in total kills (339), kills per set (3.85) and points (378.0), standing in the WCC top 10 in each category. Freshman
Madison Murtagh has been a stout presence at the net, compiling 103 total blocks to rate fourth overall in the WCC, and the top freshman in the league. She stands in third in the conference in hitting percentage with a mark of .339. Sophomore
Oluoma Okaro is one spot behind, hitting .338 on the season to hold down the fourth-best percentage in the league.
Setting duties have been split between the duo of
Kiara McKibben and
Jurja Vlasic, with McKibben pacing the team with 576 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.
As a team, USF is second in the WCC in hitting percentage at .262 The squad  also is in the league's top three in kills per set (13.93) and assists per set (12.94).Â
By the Numbers
Kim Gutierrez … needs five digs to move to 15th on the all-time list passing Jaime Schopflin (801 digs; 96-98), 26 digs to move to 14th and 36 digs to leap to 13th all-time.
Kiara McKibben … stands in seventh on the career assists tally after passing Leanna Ludes (1783 assists; 09-12), and needs 52 assists to become the seventh Don to reach the 2,000-assist mark.
Katarina Pilepic … is climbing up the USF records books and passed up Laura Tinetti to own 11th place in the Dons' last match. She needs just 21 kills to be the 11th woman to hit 1,000 kills in her career as a Don.Â
Pilepic's current career average of 3.25 kills per set stands as the eighth-best mark in program history.
Madison Murtagh ... reached the 100-block plateau in her first season on the Hilltop in USF match at Gonzaga.Â
Currently, Murtagh and
Oluoma Okaro's attack percentage would rank as seventh and eighth, respectively, in the USF single-season record books.
Know the Foe
Santa Clara enters the weekend with an 18-6 overall record, and a mark of 9-3 in WCC action to sit in third in the league standings. The Broncos are led by the offensive firepower of Nikki Hess, whose 4.06 kills per set stands in fourth in the conference, and 46th nationally.
Kirsten Mead directs the offense from the setting position, and her 11.00 assists per set is second in the WCC, and senior Danielle Rottman paces the conference with 4.89 digs per set, good for 39th in the country.
The Broncos lead the WCC in service aces, averaging 1.58 per set, with Sabrina Clayton (0.49 sa/s) and Mead (0.36 sa/s) are first and third in the league's individual standings, respectively. Clayton's mark is good for 11th in the NCAA.
Take TwoÂ
When USF hosted Santa Clara on Oct. 9, the Dons couldn't overcome a .073 hitting percentage as the Broncos earned a 25-21, 25-18, 25-19 win at War Memorial Gym.Â
The Dons were led by
Oluoma Okaro's nine kills and three blocks in the loss.
Kiara McKibben assisted on 13 plays, and
Katarina Pilepic and
Kim Gutierrez each registered eight digs in the match.
Last Time Out
A Halloween match in Spokane had the home team handing the candy bag as Gonzaga posted the 25-19, 25-21, 25-19 sweep of the Dons.
USF was paced by nine kills for
Katarina Pilepic and a 13-assist, 11-dig double-double for setter
Kiara McKibben. The Dons' other setter
Jurja Vlasic nearly recorder a double-double of her own, finishing with 13 assists and nine digs in the loss.
A Look Ahead
Following USF's lone match of the week at Santa Clara, USF welcomes Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount to War Memorial Gym next week.Â
The Dons' match against the Lions will serve as USF's Senior Day, as the squad bids a formal farewell to
Jessica Keenan,
Courtney Sabahi,
Sara Staengle and
Jurja Vlasic.
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 onlineOn Comcast SportsNet California in USF Athletics' monthly show, "Behind the Mask"With previews, recaps, videos, features and more as seen on USFDons.com
