SAN FRANCISCO — The University of San Francisco volleyball team made late runs in the second and third sets Saturday, but visiting San Diego was able to recover and hold on in each case, eventually securing a 3-0 (25-12, 25-18, 25-20) West Coast Conference win over the Dons at War Memorial at Sobrato Center.



HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Dons' best run came at the end of the third set. Senior outside hitter Lena Bondar subbed in with USF (8-11, 1-7 WCC) trailing 22-13 and proceeded to record four kills in a 6-0 Dons run, then tallied a fifth as part of an overall 7-1 stretch by USF that made it 23-20. San Diego (9-9, 6-2 WCC) would get the win with back-to-back kills by Katie Lukes, but San Francisco made the Toreros work for it at the end. All of Bondar's kills in the match came in that run, as she'd finish the afternoon hitting a team-best .400.
   
• The Dons also pressed the defending WCC champion Toreros late in the second set. The Dons scored four straight points with USD leading by almost an identical score as the third at 19-13, making it a two-point set at 19-17 thanks to kills by McKenna Marshall and Emily Zinger, as well as two USD errors. But the Toreros closed the set with five consecutive points of their own, riding two service aces, two USF errors and a kill from Addie Picha to win the set, 25-20, and take a 2-0 match lead.
   
• San Francisco grabbed a quick 2-1 lead to start the match in set one, but the Toreros went on a 7-0 run, then later closed the set on a 10-2 run, including seven straight to end it, to win the opening frame, 25-12, and grab an early 1-0 match advantage.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• .514: San Francisco held USD to just .207 hitting in the second set, but the Toreros closed the match strong by hitting .514 in the third, notching 21 kills against just three errors. USD would hit .375 for the match.
• 11: Ally Wada tallied 11 assists, making it two straight matches with double-digit assists for her. She also had two service aces – both in the third set – for her fourth match with multiple aces.

COMING UP

• San Francisco's home stand continues next week with two matches against Northern California foes. The Dons host East Bay rival Saint Mary's on Thursday, then welcome Pacific on Saturday.
   
• Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links for all matches on USFDons.com.