SAN FRANCISCO — The rivalry between the University of San Francisco volleyball team and Santa Clara continued Friday, as the Dons swept the Broncos for the third time in their last four meetings, 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-22), in a West Coast Conference showdown at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The two teams were separated by more than two points only twice during a very tight first set, and never again after the ninth point of the set. The opening frame saw nine lead changes and 15 tie scores. No team ever scored more than three points in a row, and San Francisco (6-16, 2-9 WCC) only did it once – when it counted the most.
   
• The Broncos (16-8, 6-5 WCC) got to set point at 24-23 on a Dons service error. USF rebounded, though, thanks in part to a service error on the Broncos, and then an attack error by Santa Clara's Michelle Shaffer. It was Orsula Staka and Emily Zinger who stood tall and blocked Julia Sangiacomo for the final point of the set, swinging momentum to the Dons with a 26-24 set win and a 1-0 match lead.
   
• San Francisco dominated the second set, never trailing and only allowing the Broncos to pull within two points on three occasions early before pulling away and building as much as an eight-point lead at 20-12. The Dons hit .361 in the set and held Santa Clara to only .065 hitting en route to a 25-17 set win and a 2-0 match lead.
   
• USF led set three early, but Santa Clara battled back with a 5-1 run and took a 6-5 lead, not wanting the Dons to slide easily to a sweep. The teams battled back and forth, and even when San Francisco took another multi-point lead, the Broncos came back and tied it again at 14-14 and 16-16. Back-to-back blocks by Orsula Staka and the help from Sophie Sydenham and Emily Zinger got the Dons back to a three-point advantage at 20-17.
   
• Later, a kill from setter Ally Wada, and two from Kathya Garcia put the Dons over the top. A ball handling error by the Broncos put a fitting end to the night for the final point of the set and the match, as the Dons won set three, 25-22.

LAVRISHA'S LINES

• "The composure we showed, we needed something from everybody," said San Francisco head coach Frank Lavrisha. "Kathya, with her leadership on the floor. Ally, I thought, had a great match. Anna (Dalla Vecchia) played scrappy."

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• .077: San Francisco held Santa Clara's best attacker, Julia Sangiacomo, to just .077 hitting. She entered the match leading the Broncos with 277 kills on the year and had just eight with five errors Friday.
• .089: Santa Clara's .089 team hitting percentage was the second-lowest by a USF opponent this season and the Broncos' second-worst hitting performance all year. Santa Clara had twice as many attack errors (24) as the Dons (12).
• 71: The Dons racked up 71 digs in only three sets Friday. It was their seventh-most in a single match this year, behind four five-set matches and two four-set matches. Their previous season-high for digs in a three-set match was 61.

COMING UP

• The Dons host the top two teams in the WCC next week when San Diego and No. 11 BYU visit on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.