FRESNO, Calif. - Following their tremendous start to the season in Bozeman last weekend, the University of San Francisco volleyball team (3-0) is back on the road for their second straight tournament as they head east for the Fresno State Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

Looking ahead to another strong weekend of competition, the Dons will first take on the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (2-2) at noon on Friday followed by a battle with the Seattle Redhawks (0-0) at 5:00 p.m. the same day. USF will then wrap up their time in the Central Valley by taking on the hometown Fresno State Bulldogs (1-2) at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at the Save Mart Center. 

MATCH 4 INFORMATION:
Date: Friday, Sept. 2, 2022
Time: 12:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (2-2)
Location: Fresno, Calif.
Site: Save Mart Center
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast

MATCH 5 INFORMATION:
Date: Friday, Sept. 2, 2022
Time: 5:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: Seattle Redhawks (0-0)
Location: Fresno, Calif.
Site: Save Mart Center
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast

MATCH 6 INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022
Time: 4:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: Fresno State Bulldogs (1-2)
Location: Fresno, Calif.
Site: Save Mart Center
Watch: Mountain West Network
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast

DONS AT A GLANCE:

• USF's stellar start to the season has been led by key offseason additions, including sophomore outside hitter Maria Petkova, who was named the MVP of the Bobcat Classic last weekend after leading the Dons' offensive attack with 37 total kills. Notably, the sophomore tallied a season-high 18 kills in USF's sweep over St. Thomas.
• Coming to the Hilltop from the Netherlands, graduate student Claire Crijns proved to be an essential piece of the Dons' front line by making numerous plays at the net in USF's first weekend of action. Overall, Crijns totaled 20 total kills in wins over Montana State and Grand Canyon (10 in each match) to go along with 12 blocks and 10 digs.
• Impressing in her first three collegiate matches, true freshman libero Abby Wadas came up big for USF in Bozeman as she led the Dons with 19 digs in their victory over St. Thomas to wrap up USF's double header sweep last Friday.

SCOUTING LOUISIANA TECH:

• The Bulldogs have begun their season splitting their first four matches as they've defeated Presbyterian and Grambling State coming up short against Austin Peay and Clemson.
• Sophomore middle blocker Ashley Taylor has played very well through her team's first four matches of the 2022 season as she currently leads the Bulldogs with 43 kills and 54 total points to begin the season.
• Defensively, sophomore libero McKenzie Johnson has excelled in her first four matches of the Bulldogs' season as she's recorded double digit digs in every match the team has played including a season-high 15 digs in the team's win over Presbyterian.

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS:

• Seattle will be starting their season this weekend at the Fresno State Invitational after posting a 4-21 overall record a season ago.
• The Redhawks boast a young roster that will be given numerous opportunities this season as the team's top three leaders in points all graduated following the 2021 season.
• Senior middle blocker Lauren McCabe will be a key returner for the Redhawks after she posted 118 total points as well as 74 kills for Seattle during her junior season.

SCOUTING FRESNO STATE:

• Fresno State began their season out east as they competed at the College of Charleston Classic where they picked up their first victory of the season against The Citadel before falling short against Rutgers and the College of Charleston. 
• Senior middle blocker Grace Doyle had a big weekend in South Carolina to start her 2022 season, as she leads the Bulldogs with 53 total points and is second on her squad with 41 kills.
• On the defensive side of the ball, sophomore libero Sydney Gazzaniga has put together a nice start to her year as she leads Fresno State with 45 digs through her team's first three matches. 

TRACK THE ACTION:
Both matches on Friday against Louisiana Tech and Seattle will not be broadcasted live, but live statistics are available through StatBroadcast and can be found through the team's schedule page. Saturday afternoon's match against Fresno State will be broadcast through the Mountain West Network and live statistics are also available through 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.