FULLERTON, Calif. — The San Francisco volleyball team pushed its win streak to four Friday with back-to-back sweeps on day one of the Titan Volleyball Tournament, sweeping through Idaho (25-22, 28-26, 25-21) and host Cal State Fullerton (25-18, 25-19, 25-15) at Titan Gym.
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VS. IDAHO
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- Though the Dons (6-4) swept through Idaho (5-6), the victory required multiple comebacks and competitive battles by USF to beat the Vandals in three. USF came from behind in both the first and second sets after trailing by as many as five (set one) and eight (set two).
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- USF came from behind in a big way in the first set to take a 1-0 match lead and gain much-needed momentum heading into the second frame. The Dons trailed 20-15 in set one, but would go on a 10-2 run to win it, 25-22. Five errors by the Vandals (5-5) helped the Dons' comeback run, while McKenna Marshall turned in three kills during the stretch, including the final point to clinch the set.
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- Idaho came out with a fervor in set two, going up 5-0 and 10-2. But that still wasn't enough to hold off San Francisco. The Dons still trailed late at 17-12, but they would go on an 8-2 run to take a 20-19 lead and flip the set in their favor.
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- Suddenly, it was Idaho just trying to fight off set point and fall behind 2-0 after it had jumped so far ahead to start the second frame. The Dons reached four set points, with the Vandals tying it three times before the Dons eventually got a block from Katie Wagstaff and Emily Zinger to clinch the 28-26 set win.
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- With momentum firmly in their hands now after two straight victorious battles in the first two sets, the Dons would handily win the third set to complete the sweep. They went ahead for good at 5-4 and never trailed again.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- .142: The Dons hit just .142 in the match, but still swept Idaho with a strong defense that held the Vandals to only .105 hitting. It was the Dons' lowest hitting percentage in a win this season. They are 3-1 this year when hitting below .200, shining a bright light on the team's defense.
- 13: Kathya Garcia led USF with a match-high 13 kills, but she would see her streak of five straight double-doubles end with only nine digs.
- 22: Erin Anthony had a match-best 22 assists. It was her eighth straight contest with at least 20 assists.
VS. CAL STATE FULLERTON
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- Hardened from their big comebacks against Idaho in the morning session, the Dons grabbed hold of all three sets early and never looked back. Cal State Fullerton (6-5) took a 5-2 lead early in the first set, but the Dons went on a 5-1 run to go ahead 7-6 and not trail again in the set. Two kills from Garcia and another from Wagstaff helped fuel the push.
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- The Dons grabbed leads even earlier in the second and third sets. The Titans scored the first point of the second set and then never led again. And they led 2-1 in the third frame before USF went on another 5-1 run to take the lead for good en route to the sweep victory.
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- USF dominated the third set, leading by as much as 16-7 and 18-10 before winning the set by 10 points, 25-15. The Dons hit an impressive .441 in the set while holding Cal State Fullerton to just .152 hitting in the third set and .158 overall on the night.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- 3: The back-to-back sweeps on Friday marked the Dons' second and third sweeps of the season. It's the team's first time posting consecutive sweeps in three years nearly to the day, when it beat Yale and Cal State Fullerton, 3-0, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center on Sept. 18-19, 2015.
- 10: Garcia led the Dons again with 10 kills, the only USF player to log double-digit kills. She also got back on the double-doubles track with 12 digs. She's had double-figure kills in seven straight matches.
- 126: The Dons hit 126 points better than their opponent Friday night. San Francisco hit a season-best .284 while holding the Titans to just .158 hitting.
COMING UP
- The Dons face UC Riverside at 11 a.m. Saturday on the final day of the Titan Volleyball Tournament. They then return home on Sept. 20 to start West Coast Conference play against rival Santa Clara. Fans can find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.
