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Two teams looking to turnaround the fortunes of their respective seasons clash Friday night on the Hilltop when USF plays host to Santa Clara in a West Coast Conference match. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. in War Memorial at The Sobrato Center.
 
The contest has also been tabbed as a "Dig Pink" match in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Admission is free to all fans dressed in pink. Pre-game ceremonies will include a special tribute to all of those who have been affected by breast cancer.
 
USF enters the match with a 4-14 overall mark and is winless in five conference matches. Last weekend, the Dons dropped both matches on their Pacific Northwest swing to Portland and Gonzaga which extended the team's losing streak to nine matches since its last win on Sept. 10 against Brown.
 
Disguised in this recent rough patch is an opportunity for growth for a young team which experienced heavy attrition during the offseason. "Our team has gone through a couple of tough weeks," said first-year head coach Vicki Brown. "Even with the challenges the team remains focused on moving forward and working to get better each and every day."
 
"We are constantly working on our blocking and defense. The WCC is a strong offensive conference and for us to get into longer rallies we have to improve defensively."
 
Jon Wallace's Santa Clara team will bring a 10-7 overall record and a 1-4 WCC mark to the Hilltop on Friday night. The Broncos got off to the fast start by winning their first nine matches of the season, including upsets over No. 7 USC, No. 21 Louisville and an impressive road win at Cal. Unranked to begin the season, Santa Clara ascended to No. 17 in the AVCA three weeks into the season. However, the Broncos are 1-7 in their last eight outings and snapped a seven-match losing streak with a five-set victory at Portland on Saturday afternoon.
 
USF suffered a pair of straight game losses to Santa Clara last season and trail the all-time series 62-13, however, the Dons are 5-6 against the Broncos over the last 11 meetings between the two schools. USF's last win in the series came in the first of two meetings in the 2014 season, when the Dons turned back the Broncos in straight sets. However, Santa Clara has won the last three meetings in the series – all in straight sets.
 
USF's offense has been powered by freshman Tyna Adamcikova, who enters Friday's match ranked eighth in the WCC in kills per game at 3.46. She also tops the conference in service aces at 0.42. Adamcikova tallied a season-high 27 kills in a five-set win over Brown and has quickly emerged as one of the top young hitters in the WCC.
 
"Tyna plays with so much passion," said Brown. "You can see it how she attacks, serves, passes and defends. She is going to be someone who we will count on as our program progresses."
 
The Dons block will be put to the test by Santa Clara's senior outside hitting tandem of Nikki Hess and Sabrina Clayton, who are averaging 3.38 and 3.03 kills per game respectively. Junior middle blocker Jensen Cunningham ranks third in the conference in attack percentage at .336 while the Broncos are hitting .226 overall as a team, fifth best in WCC play. Freshman setter Callie Jones, filling in for the injured Kirsten Mead, is coming off a 56 assist performance last Saturday at Portland.

Friday's contest is the first of three consecutive home matches for the Dons, who will welcome Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount to the Hilltop next week.