SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Facing their first ranked opponent of the year, the University of San Francisco volleyball team (7-7, 0- made it tough for No. 20 Pepperdine (11-4, 2-2 WCC) on Thursday night, but the Dons ultimately fell to the Waves in straight sets, 3-0, at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Firing on all cylinders out of the gates, Pepperdine jumped out to an early 10-1 lead to begin the match, but the Dons did not falter as USF climbed back within three points, 21-18, as the set played on. Despite a kill by Orsula Staka to bring the green and gold with two, 24-22, the Waves buckled down to hold on and take the first set on an attack error from Aylen Ayub, 25-22.
• In a back-and-forth battle in set two, USF flipped the momentum by grabbing an early 10-7 advantage following back-to-back kills from Shyia Richardson and Claire Crijns. Answering right back, Pepperdine responded by ripping off a 4-0 run midway through the set to jump back in front, 17-15. Down the stretch, the two teams continued to match each other blow-for-blow, but the Waves closed out the Dons, 28-26, to take a 2-0 match lead after consecutive kills from Kaleigh Hames and Riley Patterson.
• Finding their groove out of the gates once more, Pepperdine started off set three with a 15-3 lead, but the Dons dug deep to close the gap to six shortly thereafter, 24-18, following a 4-0 run of their own. Flexing their muscle, the Waves used a kill from Grace Chatingsworth to secure the set, 25-18, and notch the sweep over USF, 3-0. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Offensively, Crijns led the way for the Dons as the graduate student tallied nine kills to go along with four digs and 12 total points. Additionally, Maria Petkova (eight kills) and Richardson (seven kills) were also close behind.
• Returning to action for the first time since Sept. 16 at Denver, Aylen Ayub tallied 14 assists and five digs on Thursday night.
• As a team, USF led Pepperdine in aces (5-2) and blocks (5-4). 

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 will remain at home on the Hilltop to continue West Coast Conference play as the Dons will host Loyola Marymount this Saturday, Oct. 1 at 1:00 pm at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. Live streaming, live statistics and tickets 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.
 
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.