SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Following two straight weekends away from the Hilltop to open the 2022 season, the University of San Francisco volleyball team (6-1) battled CSUN (3-5) through five sets in their home opener on Friday night, but ultimately fell to the Matadors, 3-2, in a tightly-contested match at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Playing on their home court for the first time this fall, USF came out aggressive from the start as the Dons raced out to an early 7-5 advantage, which was led by two quick kills from Shyia Richardson. USF then took control late in the first set as they went on to win, 25-18, on a Claire Crjins kill that was assisted by Isadora Nicolai. 
• The Dons made sure to keep the stellar play rolling heading into the second set at War Memorial as they rattled off six of seven points in a row to take the advantage, 11-6. Shortly thereafter, CSUN attempted to climb their way back into the set, but ultimately came up short as Branson Lennon earned the kill off an assist from Kellen Martins to take the second set by a 25-19 score.
• Flipping the script in the the moments to follow, CSUN battled back to find their groove as the Matadors responded by taking set three, 25-19, before evening the match at 2-2 with a 25-20 win in set four.
• In a tense fifth set, the two teams exchanged blows as both sides matched each other stride-for-stride in the closing moments. Pushing past the normal 15-point, CSUN was able to find the precise shots they needed to put USF away and notch the victory, 3-2.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Leading the way offensively, the trio of Crijns, Richardson and Maria Petkova combined for 45 kills against CSUN on Friday as all three players tallied 15 kills each. Additionally, Richardson had 11 digs to tally her second straight double-double.
• Defensively, Abby Wadas set a new career and season-high with 32 digs as the freshman shined in her first match on the Hilltop. Notably, Nicolai enjoyed success in her first match at USF as she finished with 41 total assists, the second straight match in which she has eclipsed 40+ assists.
• As a team, USF led CSUN in aces (8-5), blocks (10-4) and assists (51-47).

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of tonight's match, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with head coach Diogo Silva, please click here.  

UP NEXT:
USF is back home tomorrow afternoon as they will welcome the Penn Quakers to the Hilltop at 1:00 p.m. The Quakers and Dons last met during the 2008 season when USF took home a five-set victory on their home floor. Live streaming, live statistics and tickets for Saturday's match are available via the team's schedule page.  

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.