SAN FRANCISCO — The University of San Francisco volleyball team's defense stepped up Saturday for one of its best performances of the season, but the offense could not keep pace, as Nevada worked past the Dons, 3-1 (21-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-16), on the final day of the USF Invitational at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.


 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• San Francisco (3-3) took the first set with relative ease to establish a 1-0 match advantage. The Dons jumped out to an 8-3 lead and only ever saw its lead drop below three points once en route to a 25-21 opening-frame victory. The Dons had four blocks in the opening set, including two solo jobs by Kate Ashman – the last one clinching the set win.
   
• It was Nevada (4-2) who had a comfortable run in the second set to even the match at 1-1. The Wolf Pack never trailed in the set, using a 7-2 stretch early on to separate itself, and then scoring six of the last eight points to put away a 25-16 win. Nevada hit .342 as a team in the second frame after hitting just .071 in the first. Conversely, the Dons went from hitting .250 to hitting .143.
   
• The third set was the turning point for both teams. USF jumped out to a 9-5 lead thanks in part to a run of four consecutive points with Moana To'oto'o at the serve. Nevada responded with another 7-2 run at nearly the exact same point it did that in the second frame, and the teams would swing back and forth with no more than two points separating them for the next 11 rallies.
   
• USF went on a key 7-1 run late in the third that put it up 20-16, capped by another solo block for Ashman. A kill later on by Valeria Alegrias Cambindo made it 22-19, and the Dons were in position to grab a 2-1 match lead. But Nevada closed with a 6-1 run, helped in part by three offensive errors by the Dons, bringing it from behind to win the set, 25-23.
   
• The Wolf Pack controlled its own destiny once in the fourth, never trailing in the final set en route to winning, 25-16. The Dons were within two still at 11-9, but a 6-1 Nevada run put the set out of reach at 17-10. San Francisco had seven attack errors in the set to equal its high for the match (set two).

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 6-29-15-2: Ally Wada was four kills short of a triple-double Saturday, collecting her second double-double of the season with 39 assists and 15 digs. She also added two blocks.
• 17: To'oto'o had a career-high 17 digs Saturday. Her previous high was 10 versus Southern Miss on Saturday in Denver. She played in all four sets against Nevada.
• 76: San Francisco totaled 76 digs Saturday, its most in a four-set match since collecting 87 at Saint Mary's on Nov. 24, 2015. Three Dons had double-digit digs, led by Anna Dalla Vecchia's 18.

COMING UP

• San Francisco's first home stand of the year continues next weekend when it hosts Utah State on Friday and Cornell on Saturday as part of the Bay Area Invitational, co-hosted with Saint Mary's. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links at USFDons.com.