MORAGA, Calif. – The University of San Francisco women's volleyball team earned its first road sweep over a conference opponent for the first time since November 18, 2018 when the Dons made quick work of Saint Mary's, winning in straight sets (25-23, 25-21, 27-25) on Friday evening at UCU Credit Pavilion.
 
The Dons (6-7, 6-7 WCC) got back into the win column after four-straight losses, and ended an eight-match losing streak at the hands of the Gaels, while hitting .224 on the night with 24 kills on 107 swings with 19 errors.  The Dons attack got stronger as the match went on – after hitting into eight errors in the first set, the Dons had just 11 more in the remaining two frames.
 
McKenna Marshall led the USF with a match-high 14 kills, she was the only player in double digits in kills.  However, USF's attack was very balanced on the evening with seven players recording at least two kills and six players finishing with five or more kills.
 
Katie Wagstaff and Orsula Staka both had solid outings. Wagstaff finished with seven kills on 12 swigs for a .500 attack percentage.  Staka also finished with seven kills and hit .286. Valeria Alegrias Cambindo finished with eight kills and hit .286 and was the spark that got the Dons attack going early in the match.
 
Aylen Ayub finished with a match-high 32 assists, she also had seven digs. Anna Dalla Vecchia had a match-high 13 digs. Dalla Vecchia now has 1,169 digs in her career which ranks seventh all-time in USF.  She trails Hall of Famer Brittany Budinger by 22 for sixth all-time.  Dalla Vecchia was joined in double figures by Bruna Correa and Greta Corti who had 12 each.
 
Saint Mary's (5-7, 5-7 WCC) finished the match with 34 kills on 152 swings with 18 errors for a .152 attack percentage. Elena Baka led the Gaels with eight kills.
 
"I think it was a great team win," said head coach Frank Lavrisha. "We got contributions from everyone and in all statistical categories we seemed to have the advantage. Our middles really provided us with some balanced hitting. Valeria was solid for us on the right, and Greta and McKenna were tough on the other side. Particularly McKenna, she really turned it on late when we needed her to. Our ball control was exceptional, Anna did a great job on the receive. Finally, one of the pieces that's often overlooked we were aggressive with our serve game which set up our defense. All in all, a really solid team win."
 
In the opening set the Dons took control early thanks to a 3-0 run with the set tied at 4-4.  USF did a good job not letting the Gaels mount a run of their own and took control of the set thanks to another 3-0 run, giving the dons an 17-12 advantage.  An ace by Marshall, USF's second of the set, forced the Gaels to burn a timeout.
 
Late in the opening set, with the Dons leading 21-15, a 4-0 run by the Gaels forced USF to call a timeout.  Out of the break, an attack error by USF cut the lead to one, but USF was able to regroup and went on to take the opening set 25-23.  The Dons had five different players record at least two kills in the set. 
 
In the second frame, a USF attack error early gave the Gaels a 9-5 advantage early. That lead did not last long as USF went on a 4-0 run to tie set at 9-9 following a SMC attack error. A 3-0 run by the Dons had USF out front 12-10 following a kill by Cambindo, a solo block by Staka and a kill by Staka.
 
Late in the second set, the Gaels called a timeout to halt a Dons run with USF leading 17-13. Out of the break Saint Mary's cut into the lead but back-to-back service aces by Sara Denham gave USF 22-17 lead.  USF took the set 25-23 and went up 2-0 in the match, following a kill by Staka.
 
In the third set the two teams played very evenly. Late in the set, the Gaels looked poised to send the match to a fourth-set when they had first of two set points following a kill by Baka. But the Dons responded. Trailing 25-24, USF scored three-straight thanks to a kill by Marshall and a block and kill by Wagstaff.
 
The Dons will attempt to sweep the season series against the Gaels for the first time since 2015 when USF hosts Saint Mary's on the Hilltop tomorrow night at 4:00 p.m. Saturday's match will be streamed on the WCC Network.