VB | Dons Kick Off Four-Match Home Stand vs. Top Teams - University of San Francisco Athletics

Thursday, October 11

San Francisco

7:00 P.M.

University of San Francisco

BYU

Bondar Marshall Sydenham Wagstaff marketing

(From left to right) Lena Bondar, McKenna Marshall, Sophie Sydenham and Katie Wagstaff have all played bigger parts for the Dons in recent weeks.

Photo by: Christina Leung

VB | Dons Kick Off Four-Match Home Stand vs. Top Teams

10/10/2018 11:04:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco volleyball team returns home this week for the start of a four-game West Coast Conference home stand that includes some of the conference's top teams, kicking off with hosting the No. 1 team in the country on Thursday in BYU and defending conference champion San Diego on Saturday. Saturday's match marks the Dons' annual "Dig Pink" match in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness during the month of October.

MATCH 18 INFORMATION
Date/Time: Thursday, Oct. 11, 7 p.m.
Opponent: No. 1 BYU
Site: War Memorial at Sobrato Center
Tickets: https://bit.ly/2uJKvEL
Live video: https://bit.ly/2Oh50SI
Live stats: https://bit.ly/2NsE79n

MATCH 19 INFORMATION
Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 13, Noon
Opponent: San Diego
Site: War Memorial at Sobrato Center
Tickets: https://bit.ly/2uJKvEL
Live video: https://bit.ly/2E7bwa8
Live stats: https://bit.ly/2yoksSt

THE WEEKEND DIG

San Francisco (8-9, 1-5 WCC) enters the week on a five-match skid, having dropped each of its last five matches after sweeping its WCC opener over rival Santa Clara on Sept. 20. The Dons have been competitive in all five of those matches, though, winning a set in two of them and dropping five other sets by only five points or less (three by the minimum two points, two of those requiring extra points beyond 25).

Emily Zinger (2.36 kills per set in 2018) and McKenna Marshall (2.84 kills per set) have been the Dons' primary attackers the last two weeks, with both of them leading the Dons in kills in multiple matches. Anna Dalla Vecchia has logged at least one service ace in five straight matches, and have had multiple aces in three of the last four.

ABOUT THE COUGARS
No. 1 BYU has yet to lose a match in 2018, going 16-0 to start the year, including a perfect 6-0 start to WCC play. The Cougars own six wins over teams ranked or receiving votes in the national poll, including a five-set triumph over then-No. 1 Stanford at home on Aug. 31. BYU has claimed four of this season's seven WCC Player of the Week awards, including the last two going to Roni Jones-Perry to give her three on the year. The Cougars are among the nation's top-20 in six different categories, including a nation-best .339 hitting percentage while holding opponents to the country's fourth-lowest hitting percentage at .143.

ABOUT THE TOREROS
San Diego started the year ranked No. 14 and was still ranked as of three weeks ago, but two losses last week to cross-town rival San Diego State and WCC rival BYU has knocked them out of the poll. The Toreros are still a formidable opponent, currently in fourth place in the WCC, just two games behind the No. 1 Cougars. They are among the WCC's top half in five different statistical categories including total blocks (fifth), blocks per set (third), assists per set (fifth), and kills per set (fourth).

HOSTING THE BEST

San Francisco hosts the top team in the nation in No. 1 BYU on Thursday night. The Dons hosted ranked BYU and San Diego teams last season in November, suffering sweeps to then-No. 7 BYU and then-No. 11 San Diego. The last time the Dons beat a nationally ranked team was on Sept. 1, 2012, when they beat then-No. 25 California, 3-2, at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Invitational in Honolulu.

"DIG PINK"

Saturday's match marks the Dons' annual "Dig Pink" match, in which the team will warm up in pink USF shirts in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. The American Volleyball Coaches Association partners with the Side-Out Foundation for their annual Dig Pink movement. Saturday's match will include free pink t-shirts to the first 100 fans, a pregame moment of silence for those affected by breast cancer, and during the second intermission, fans can honor someone they know with a fill-in card to stand up and honor those affected by the disease.

COMING UP

USF's home stand concludes next week with the end of the first half and the start of the second, as they host East Bay rival Saint Mary's on Oct. 18 and Pacific on Oct. 20. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.