SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Returning home to War Memorial at the Sobrato Center for the first time this fall, the University of San Francisco women's volleyball team (0-5) fell to Utah State (5-3) in straight sets, 3-0, on Friday evening.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Enjoying success right out of the gates, the Dons jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the first set after a kill from freshman Shyia Richardson. Quickly thereafter, the Aggies responded with two runs of their own to even the score and ultimately pull ahead of USF.
• In the minutes to follow, Utah State found their rhythm down the stretch and capitalized on hitting errors from the Dons to extend their advantage. Aiming to take an early lead, the Aggies would go on to secure the first set, 25-18, over USF. Following the first set, Richardson had tallied a team-high four digs while classmate Kellen Martins had recorded three kills, one block and one dig.
• In a similar scene, the Dons jumped out to a six-point lead, 12-6, midway through the second set after an ace from Lana Kutakhina. Keeping pace, Utah State then reeled off an 11-3 run to regain their lead over USF. Applying pressure on their opponent, the Dons would get within one point, 22-21, after an ace from Sara Denham, but the Aggies would buckle down in the final moments to secure a 25-22 set win.
• Moving into the third set, USF and Utah State began this sequence identically like the others as the two teams were tied at two following an attack error from the Aggies. After falling to CSU Bakersfield in a neutral site match at Saint Mary's this morning, Utah State came together as a team in the third set as they hit an impressive .571 overall to pull away from the Dons. Overall, the Aggies would experience little trouble in the final set offensively as they won 25-11 over USF to secure the match victory, 3-0. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Leading the charge, Richardson notched a team-high nine total kills while Martins (5) and Orsula Staka (4) finished second and third respectively.
• Notably, Staka's five blocks set a new season-high for the Croatian, marking the first time she has reached five or more blocks since Mar. 20 at Gonzaga last spring. Additionally, Aylen Ayub's 16 assists against the Aggies marks her third most of the season.
• For freshman Serafine Rivera, the St. Paul, Minn. product tallied a season and career-high five digs. 

UP NEXT:
USF will play their second and final match as co-hosts of the Bay Area Invitational when they battle CSU Bakersfield tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 11 at 1:00 pm. Admission is free and open to all fans. Live streaming and live statistics links 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.