MALIBU, Calif. – Beginning their final road trip of the season on Thursday evening, the University of San Francisco volleyball team (0-23, 0-15) fell to No. 25 Pepperdine, 3-0, at Firestone Fieldhouse.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• To start, the Dons were tied with the Waves 2-2 to begin set one following an attack error and a kill from Shyia Richardson. Finding their rhythm soon thereafter, Pepperdine would reel off an 11-0 run to take a 13-2 advantage. Ultimately, the Waves would close out set one, 25-7, with Lana Kutakhina recording the final two kills for the Dons.
• Similar to the first set, USF jumped out to a 2-0 lead after another attack error from Pepperdine and a service ace from Bruna Correa. Battling in the moments to follow, the Waves would jump back on top, but the Dons remained within one point, 8-7, after a kill from Sophie Sydenham. Using the strength of their home crowd, the Waves answered again, this time with a 9-1 run to extend their lead to 17-8. Continuing to show promise, Kutakhina racked up two more kills midway through the set, but Pepperdine would counter and secure the set point, 25-13.
• Moving into set three, USF started on a positive note by taking a 3-2 lead following kills from Sydenham and two more attack errors from the Waves. Keeping close, kills from Sydenham and Orsula Staka kept the Dons within striking distance, 15-12, halfway through the set. Rallying off another stretch, Pepperdine answered by closing out the action on a 10-3 run to grab the final set, 25-15, and the match, 3-0.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• With a bright future ahead, Kutakhina recorded her sixth match this season with at least five kills as the Ukrainian finished with a team-high six kills.
• Making the most of her time on the court, Sara Denham logged double-digit digs for the third consecutive match as the freshman finished with a team-high 15 digs.
• Notably, Aylen Ayub dished out 16 assists to lead the Dons, marking the 16^th time this season the setter has tallied at least 15 assists.

UP NEXT:
USF will continue their road swing in LA when they match up against Loyola Marymount on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 1:00 pm. Live streaming and live statistics are available via the team's schedule page.
 
FOLLOW US:
For more information and updates on the University of San Francisco volleyball program, be sure to follow the Dons on Twitter @USFDonsVB, @USFDonsVB on Instagram and @USFDonsVball on Facebook.