SAN FRANCISCO — It took three sets, but the San Francisco volleyball team finally got going Saturday night, eventually coming all the way back from being down 2-0 in the match to beat visiting Southern Utah, 3-2 (22-25, 24-26, 25-21, 25-15, 15-11), as the Dons won their second straight five-set match in as many days in War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
POST-MATCH INTERVIEW
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The turning point in the match came midway through the third set with Southern Utah (1-8) leading 11-10 and looking for a 3-0 sweep after losing its first two matches of the weekend. But the Dons (4-4) went on a 5-1 run that gave them a 15-12 lead, and they never trailed in the set again. The Thunderbirds hurt themselves during the run with three attack errors.
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- SUU would pull to within 22-20 late in the third, but USF scored three of the last four points with two kills from Kate Ashman and another from Sophie Sydenham to put the Dons on the board in the match at 2-1.
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- USF never trailed in the fourth set en route to tying the match at 2-2 and forcing a deciding fifth frame. The Dons jumped out to a 12-4 lead at the start and cruised from there. Four straight errors by the Thunderbirds gave USF a 19-9 lead, and Marjolijn Oskam's kill sealed the deal for a fifth set with a 25-15 win in the fourth.
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- Southern Utah regained its swagger in the fifth, staying right with the Dons and even holding six different leads early on. The Thunderbirds led 7-5 at one point and were ahead 8-7 at the court switch. But San Francisco took off on another 5-1 run – just like in the third set – that put them on a path to victory. Emily Zinger's successive block and kill made it 12-9, and two more swings from her made it 13-10, and then 14-11. It was co-all-tournament honoree Kathya Garcia that put away the match with a kill to win the fifth and final frame at 15-11.
NUMBERS TO KNOW
- 0.84: San Francisco held Southern Utah to just .084 hitting, including -.114 in the fourth set and .050 in the third. Meanwhile, the Dons hit .216 for the match - .290 in the match-tying fourth set.
- 5th: Garcia logged her fifth straight double-double with a season-high-matching 22 kills to go with 16 digs. She also had three blocks and three service aces while hitting .347.
- 14: Zinger finished with 14 kills and eight blocks, as well as two digs. She and Garcia represented the Dons on the all-tournament team.
USF/SAINT MARY'S ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
- MVP: Lindsey Calvin (SMC)
- Sienna Young (SMC)
- Alexsa "Crash" Parker (SMC)
- Kathya Garcia (USF)
- Emily Zinger (USF)
- Laura Masciullo (Hofstra)
- Janet Kalaniuvalu (SUU)
COMING UP
- The Dons travel to their final non-conference tournament of the season next weekend in Fullerton, Calif. There, they will face Idaho (Friday), host Cal State Fullerton (Friday) and UC Riverside (Saturday). West Coast Conference play opens at home versus Bay Area rival Santa Clara on Sept. 20.
