Box Score STOCKTON, Calif. — It was a night of momentum and milestones Tuesday for the University of San Francisco women's volleyball team, which after being on the verge of defeat in both the fourth and fifth sets, scored the final points in each frame to come from behind and beat host Pacific, 3-2 (19-25, 25-15, 23-25, 26-24, 16-14), at Alex G. Spanos Center.
 
USF's (3-2) comeback was powered in large part by some outstanding defense led by senior libero Anna Dalla Vecchia, who became the ninth USF player all-time to eclipse the 1,000 career digs mark. She tallied a career-high 32 on Tuesday, giving her 111 for the season and 1,016 for her career in only three seasons with San Francisco.
 
"We competed tonight," said San Francisco head coach Frank Lavrisha. "Anna was a great leader in the huddles and with her teammates. The light went on for her as a leader. I just got out of her way, it was really cool to see."
 
The Dons were up against it in the fifth and final set, trailing 14-12 and Pacific (1-2) only needing one point for the win. An attack error from the Tigers gave USF some hope at 14-13, and after a Pacific timeout, the Dons ran off three consecutive points for the victory with another Pacific error and back-to-back kills from McKenna Marshall. It was a fitting end offensively, as Marshall led all players with 21 kills, her third straight 20-kills performance.
 
"We leaned on our outside hitters, and tenacious defense to deny their match point," said Lavrisha. We made dig after dig."
 
San Francisco nearly lost Tuesday's match in the fourth set. It trailed 21-19 in the set and 2-1 in the match, but back-to-back kills from Marshall got the Dons back in the game. USF would take 22-21, 23-22 and 24-23 leads, but the Tigers managed to tie the set each time. A clutch solo block by Katie Wagstaff and a kill from freshman outside hitter Greta Corti sealed the fourth set for the Dons, 26-24, and forced the deciding fifth.
 
"The thing that turned it around earlier was blocking," said Lavrisha. "The composure from some of the freshmen, like Aylen (Ayub), just give it to the right people, Irene (Abbruciati) with her serves, Greta was great with her serves at the end."
 
Marshall posted her fourth double-double in five matches with her match-leading 21 kills and a career-high 19 digs. The Dons collected a season-high 89 digs and 14 total blocks while holding Pacific to .111 hitting. The victory also snapped a 13-match winning streak by Pacific in the series, giving USF its first win over the Tigers since 2013, and their first under Lavrisha.
 
"It's a good group both off and on the court," said Lavrisha. "They're responding to challenges."
 
San Francisco returns to the court against Pacific again at 7 p.m. Wednesday to complete the two-match home-and-home series. Fans can find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.