BOZEMAN, Mont. – Ready to return to the court, the University of San Francisco volleyball team will open their regular season schedule with three matches at the Montana State tournament in Bozeman, Montana this weekend.
 
Overall, the Dons will begin their 2022 campaign against the host Bobcats on Friday, Aug. 26 at 9:00 am PT followed by a neutral site showdown against St. Thomas at 3:00 pm PT. On Saturday, USF will square off against Grand Canyon at 9:00 am to close out tournament play. 
 
MATCH 1 INFORMATION:
Date: Friday, Aug. 26, 2022
Time: 9:00 am PST
Opponent: Montana State
Location: Bozeman, Mont.
Site: Shroyer Gymanisum
Watch: ESPN+
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast
 
MATCH 2 INFORMATION:
Date: Friday, Aug. 26, 2022
Time: 3:00 pm PST
Opponent: St. Thomas
Location: Bozeman, Mont.
Site: Shroyer Gymnasium
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast
 
MATCH 3 INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022
Time: 9:00 am PST
Opponent: Grand Canyon
Location: Bozeman, Mont.
Site: Shroyer Gymnasium
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Entering the second year of the Diogo Silva era, USF will return 10 letterwinners from last year's team in addition to four graduate transfers and three true freshmen. Notably, Claire Crijns (Netherlands), Isadora Nicola (Auburn Univ. at Montgomery) and Anna Petrova (UConn) will each suit up in the green and gold for their final year of collegiate volleyball while Branson Lennon, Lindsay Oldendorf and Abby Wadas join the Dons from the high school ranks. 
• Individually, sophomores Shyia Richardson and Letizia Aquilino will aim to build on their successful freshman seasons as Richardson led the team in kills last year (211) while Aquilino led the team in digs (240). Additionally, USF also returns Orsula Staka, who led the Dons with 47.0 blocks in 2021, and Aylen Ayub, who led USF with 523 assists.
• Opening the season in Montana, the Dons will return to California next weekend for a tournament at Fresno State. One week later, USF will host CSUN in their home opener on Friday, Sept. 9 at 7:00 pm in War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.  

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS:

• Members of the Big Sky Conference, Montana State finished 15-14 overall last year (4-7 at home) as they posted their third consecutive winning season in 2021. 
• Led by a trio of All-Conference performers, the Bobcats return Kira Thomsen, Emma Pence and Jordan Radick. Last season, Radick was the league's Freshman of the Year while Pence led the conference in blocking. For Thomsen, the outside hitter is Montana State's top offensive weapon as she led the team with 3.03 kills per set last year.
• As a team, MSU was strong defensively last season as the Bobcats led the Big Sky while also ranking 61^st in the nation with 264 total blocks. 

SCOUTING THE TOMMIES:

• Rolling into year two of Division I play, St. Thomas will play four consecutive tournaments away from home to begin their season in 2022.
• At the helm of the Tommies, Thanh Pham enters his 20^th year at St. Thomas, marking the longest tenure of any current head coach in the Summit League.
• Overall, St. Thomas returns eight players from their first Division I team last year, including outside hitter Lauren Galvin, who started all 28 matches and had 325 kills en route to All-Freshmen honors. With just four upperclassmen on the roster in 2022, the Tommies boast one of the youngest rosters across Division I as they currently have 16 sophomores and freshmen combined. 

SCOUTING THE LOPES:

• Coming off a successful campaign last year, GCU finished 19-7 overall in 2021, which included a 6-1 record on neutral courts and a runner-up finish in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) tournament. Over the past three seasons, the Lopes have compiled a 54-17 overall record.
• Loaded with returners, Grand Canyon brings back their top seven scorers from a year ago, including four Preseason All-WAC picks- Melanie Brecka (outside hitter), Annabelle Kubinski (middle blocker), Klaire Mitchell (setter) and Mackenzie Wise (outside hitter). Notably, Mitchell was selected as the WAC's Preseason Setter of the Year after having won WAC Setter of the Year twice. Impressively, her career average of 10.3 assists per set ranks 18^thnationally heading into the 2022 season. Additionally, Wise is eager to build off of her strong freshman season after being GCU's leading scorer in 2021.
• Shuffling their roster this offseason, GCU added two graduate transfers and two true freshmen as they aim to finish in the top two of the WAC regular season standings for the fourth consecutive year. 

TRACK THE ACTION:
Friday's season-opening match against Montana State can be viewed on ESPN+. USF's match against St. Thomas and against Grand Canyon will not be broadcasted. Live statistics for all matches 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.