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SAN FRANCISCO-- The USF women's volleyball team scored a 9-7 advantage in blocks and rode the defensive intensity, but ultimately fell to Saint Mary's in straight sets (25-17, 25-22, 25-16).
San Francisco (4-12, 0-3 WCC) was able to hit 24 kills for the match and a .044 hitting percentage. Tyna Adamcikova recorded her 11th match of the season with double-digit kills, as the freshman led the Dons with 11. Senior Emily Reed totaled the match with three kills and four digs. Returning from a sprained ankle suffered earlier in the season, freshman Carly Lowry contributed with three kills and five digs. Libero Camille Araujo paced USF's backline with nine digs and tied for the team lead with two service aces.
SMC (7-7, 2-1 WCC) finished the game with a .252 hitting percentage and 41 kills. Lindsey Knudson paved the way for the Gaels offense with 12 kills.
In the first set, the Dons totaled seven kills and could not find much on the offensive side. Trailing by as many as 10, the Dons would fight back until the end. The defense forced back-to-back errors from the Gaels, and a kill from Adamcikova cut the SMC lead to seven. USF would then go on to score three more unanswered points with the same defensive formula to trail, 23-17. Despite the comeback effort, SMC claimed two straight points to win the first game, 25-17.
The second game proved to be a heated battle between the Bay Area rivals. Neither team could secure a lead more than three points in the early moments of the set. Trailing 12-9, USF would go on a 3-0 run aided by two straight kills by Adamcikova and a nicely placed serve by freshman libero Camille Araujo. Tied at 14-14, the Gaels would go on to score five unanswered points to take a 19-15 advantage. The young Dons would again show its resilience by scoring four straight to trim the lead to one. A kill by Reed and two straight aces by Nora Buvarp Lavik gave USF the momentum, as the Green and Gold cut the deficit to one. Down 23-19, the defense once again kicked into high gear to trail, 23-22. With two straight kills, SMC claimed the game to capture the two set lead.
USF recorded eight kills in the third frame (.034) as the Dons ultimately fell to the Gaels.
The Dons will now be on the road to face a brace of matches in the Pacific Northwest. First, USF will face off against Portland (Sept. 29) at 7 p.m. and then conclude the week with a match at Gonzaga (Oct. 1) at 12 p.m. The match against the Pilots will be broadcasted on CSN NW, while the fixture against the Bulldogs will be live on TheW.TV.
