SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Back home for another week of West Coast Conference play, the University of San Francisco volleyball team (8-10, 1-6 WCC) recorded a long-awaited victory on Thursday night as the Dons swept Gonzaga (4-14, 0-7 WCC), 3-0, in straight sets for their first conference win since March 2021.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Trading points to open the match, USF and Gonzaga exchanged fire to begin play before the Dons used an 8-2 run to pull in front of the Bulldogs, 18-11. Closing out the set with back-to-back 3-0 stretches, the Dons were able to secure the first set, 25-18, following consecutive kills from Maria Petkova and an attack error by GU.
- Starting out on a similar note, USF raced out to a 4-1 lead in the second set after another attack error and kills from Lauren Perri, Orsula Staka and Shyia Richardson. Despite Gonzaga responding to draw even at 15-15 midway through the set, USF used a 4-0 run to regain control, 23-19, which included three straight kills from Richardson. Hanging on to defend their home court, 25-22, in set two to take a 2-0 advantage.
- After the two sides were even at 3 to begin the third set, the Dons then swung the momentum in their favor as they reeled off a 6-0 run to jump back on top, 9-3. Not going down without a fight, Gonzaga rallied back to come within three points 17-14, but USF then answered with their second 6-0 run of the set to put the Bulldogs on the ropes, 23-14. Following another kill from Petkova and a service error by GU, USF closed out the Zags, 25-18, and secure their first win in WCC action since a 3-0 home sweep of Santa Clara on Mar. 26, 2021. Notably, the victory also marked the first conference win for head coach Diogo Silva.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Dominating from the start, Staka tallied a match-high 12 kills for the Dons as the senior also recorded a new season-high in this category. Notably, her 15 points also marked a new season-high for the middle blocker from Dubrovnik, Croatia.
- Offensively, Aylen Ayub recorded 30 assists against the Bulldogs, the seventh time this season in which she has eclipsed 30+ assists and the first time since Oct. 1 against LMU.
- Defensively, three different Dons registered double-digit digs: Abby Wadas (18), Richardson (12) and Claire Crijns (10).
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
USF will remain at home on the Hilltop as the Dons will welcome Portland to War Memorial at the Sobrato Center for an afternoon matchup this Saturday, Oct. 16. Live streaming, live statistics and tickets 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.
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact
Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.
