FRESNO, Calif. – Getting it done on the road once again, the University of San Francisco volleyball team (5-0) took down Louisiana Tech (2-3), 3-0, and Seattle U (0-2), 3-2, on Friday to win their first two matches of the Fresno State Invitational and remain undefeated on the season.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Match 1 - USF 3, Louisiana Tech 0 :
- Trading points to open the match, Louisiana Tech jumped out to a 15-10 lead midway through the first set, but the Dons were ultimately able to dig deep and respond in the moments to follow. Closing out the set on a tear, USF rallied off four of the final five points, which included three kills from Maria Petkova, to take a 1-0 advantage over the Bulldogs.
- Fighting to the brink in set two, USF and Louisiana Tech once again exchanged blows to begin the action, but a 7-2 run from the Dons halfway through the set put USF on top, 14-10. Despite the Bulldogs climbing back to regain control towards the end of the match, USF was able to gather themselves and record the final three points of the set to secure a 2-0 lead.
- Kicking off the third set with three straight points, the Dons continued their momentum rolling, but Louisiana Tech displayed their grit by battling back yet again to go in front. Similar to the first two sets, USF would find their groove in the middle of the set by logging a 13-4 run to reclaim their advantage. Leaving no doubt, the Dons totaled five of the match's last seven points to secure the set, 25-20, and sweep the Bulldogs, 3-0.
Match 2 - USF 3, Seattle U 2 :
- Wasting no time out of the gates, USF got out to a 3-0 lead to begin their second match following kills from Claire Crijns and Orsula Staka and an ace from Abby Wadas. Just a few minutes later, the Dons double up the Redhawks, 16-8, after a 6-1 run that included two more kills from Staka. Although Seattle U would make a late push towards the end of the set, USF hung on to take the first set, 25-22, and a 1-0 lead.
- Moving into the second set, the Redhawks were able to jump out to a 16-9 lead after a strong start, but the Dons responded shortly thereafter with a 10-0 run to regain their advantage, 19-16. Fighting back to even the match, Seattle U found their rhythm to close the set as they tied the game at 1-1 by taking set two, 26-24.
- Over the next two sets, the two teams continued to battle, but neither team could fully pull in front. In the third set, Seattle U handled USF, 25-15, but the Dons then answered back by dominating the fourth set, 25-12.
- Coming down to a deciding fifth set, USF came together as a team in the final moments as back-to-back service aces as well as an attack error from the Redhawks gave the Dons an 8-5 lead through the first half of the set. Flexing their muscle, USF continued to roll as the set went on as they closed out the match with a 7-1 run, which was highlighted by two more kills from Staka and two kills from Aylen Ayub. Holding on to secure their fifth straight victory to begin the season, the Dons went on to defeat Seattle U, 15-9, and take the match, 3-2.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- As a team, Friday's victories over Louisiana Tech and Seattle U marks the first time USF has started the year with a 5-0 record since the Dons went 13-0 to begin play in 2015.
- Overall, USF set multiple season-highs in their win over Seattle U: kills (71), total assists (54), digs (70), block assists (16), solo blocks (9) and points (87).
- Individually, Staka and Shyia Richardson each tallied a team-high 21 kills across the two matches on Friday as the duo dominated offensively for the green and gold. Defensively, Wadas continued her impressive start to her career as a Don as she totaled 25 digs against the Bulldogs and Redhawks. Additionally, Ayub also added 66 assists and 16 digs in another strong effort.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
USF will wrap up their weekend at the Fresno State Invitational by taking on the host Bulldogs at 4:00 pm tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 3. The match will be broadcasted live on the Mountain West Network and will also be available to stream via the team's schedule page. Live statistics are also 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.
