THE RUNDOWN
SAN FRANCISCO - The USF volleyball team (3-14, 0-4) was downed by the Portland Pilots (11-4, 2-1) in a five-set nail biter on Thursday evening at War Memorial in the Sobrato Center. Although the Dons weren't able to pick up their first West Coast Conference win, the young squad put up a gutsy fight against a team who was ranked to finish third in the WCC preseason polls. The effort result in season high numbers for the team and for certain individuals, including the two true freshman in the starting line up, setter Erin Anthony and outside hitter Erica Ronda. 

QUOTE OF THE GAME
"It's the big picture. We have to feel like this is a win for us, playing against a good team very well and having a shot to win it. That's all you can ask for. We were aggressive and smart - those are the two things that we asked our team to be. That's how we want to define USF volleyball." - Head Coach Frank Lavrisha

STATS OF THE GAME

• Two Dons earned double-doubles, Ronda and Anthony. 
• Ronda led the Dons, seeing season highs in three categories:
  • 23 kills (previous high was 14 against Florida A&M on Sept. 1)
  • 70 total attempts (previous high was 56 against CSUN on Sept. 8)
  • 15 digs (previous high was 11 against Fresno State on Sept. 9)
• Ronda notched her second double-double of the season. On top of it all, she earned two serve aces.  
• Anthony earned several season highs as well:
  • 51 assists (previous high was 47 against CSUN on Sept. 8)
  • 24 digs, tying the team's season-high leader Camille Araujo who registered 24 digs (three sets) versus CSU Bakersfield on Sept. 15
• Anthony recorded her fifth double-double, led in digs, and had four kills with zero errors for a .400 attack percentage. She also had three block assists on the night. 
• Carly Lowry also earned double-digit kills with 14.
• Marjolijn Oskam registered a season-high eight block assists and one solo block. She also had seven kills on a season-high 26 attempts. 
• As a team, the Dons tallied 63 kills, 61 assists, and 105 digs - all season highs. 
• USF out blocked the visitors 11-9. 
• Five Dons finished with double-digit digs. 

WHAT'S NEXT
The Dons will turn around to play their third match of the week on Saturday. USF will host the Gonzaga Bulldogs with first serve set for noon. Make sure to make it out to War Memorial this weekend to watch more WCC action! As always, children under 12 and USF students and faculty with an ID get in free! Tickets can be found here.