STOCKTON, Calif. – Pushing their winning streak to four straight, the University of San Francisco volleyball team (11-10, 4-6 WCC) picked up their first road win of conference play by taking down Pacific (12-10, 4-6 WCC), 3-2, in five sets at the Alex G. Spanos Center on Saturday.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• After the two teams opened the match with three points each, the Dons took control early by using a 6-0 run to jump in front, 9-3, at the start of the first set. Although the Tigers responded by closing the gap to one down the stretch, USF battled to secure set one, 25-21, following a kill from Orsula Staka and an attack error from Pacific.
• Answering back, the Tigers used a 5-1 run of their own to grab control midway through set two as UOP led, 13-7. Similar to the first set, USF then shaved their deficit down to one point, 21-20, as the Dons aimed to grab a 2-0 lead. Defending their home court, Pacific buckled down to take set two, 25-23 despite a valiant effort from the green and gold.
• Battling to begin the third set, USF and Pacific remained knotted at 11 as the halfway point approached. Shortly thereafter, the Dons got back in rhythm by rallying off a 6-2 run, which was highlighted by a service ace from Lauren Perri. Shifting the momentum back to their side, the Tigers then clawed back to go in front, 18-17 in the minutes to follow. Never losing faith, the Dons regrouped to close out the set, 25-22, and take a 2-1 advantage in the match.
• Not backing down, Pacific jump out to an early lead in the fourth set and never looked back as the Tigers were able to maintain their distance throughout the set before evening the match at two with a 25-18 set win.
• Proving to never be out of it, the Dons were down 5-3 to open the fifth and final set before USF exploded with a 7-1 run to regain control. Aiming to work their way back again, Pacific gave it their all until the final whistle, but the Dons were ultimately able to dig deeper in the closing moments of the match to win the fifth set, 15-10, and notch their first road win of WCC play.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Leading the way offensively for USF, Claire Crijns tallied a match-high 15 kills to go along with seven digs, five block assists and two service aces.
• Defensively, Abby Wadas (19 digs) and Shyia Richardson (10 digs) each recorded double-digit digs in the win over Pacific. Additionally, Orsula Staka finished with a season-high nine block assists. Overall, USF registered a new season-high as a total 26 total block assists, eight more than their previous high (18) against Air Force on Sept. 17.
• As a unit, USF led Pacific in hitting percentage (.232-.134), blocks (14-3) and digs (59-58).

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
 
Head Coach Diogo Silva – "It was a very important victory against a very difficult opponent for us today. We are very happy with what we are building, but we have a lot to improve and evolve upon still. We need to stay focused on the process, but I am very proud of this fantastic group and what they have achieved so far. They deserve this and I am very happy for them."
 
UP NEXT:
USF will remain on the road next week as the Dons will head south for two road matches at Loyola Marymount (Oct. 27) and Pepperdine (Oct. 29). Live streaming and live statistics will be 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.