IRVINE, Calif. – Kicking off their 2023 season down south, the University of San Francisco volleyball team fell in a neutral site match, 3-0, against Seton Hall at the Bren Events Center on the campus of UC Irvine on Friday afternoon.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Battling to the brink in the opening set, San Francisco saw their first point of the year come from a kill by Long Island transfer Karolina Nova as the Dons evened things up at 1-1 early on. Keeping pace in the minutes to follow, Seton Hall pulled ahead with a by reeling off five straight points to take a 12-6 advantage.
• Keeping close, the Dons battled back with three straight points off their own to come within one, 21-20, after kills from Hayden Goodman, Crystal Galaviz and an attack error by the Pirates. Unfortunately, Seton Hall buckled down to close the first set as they hung on, 25-23, to grab a 1-0 lead in the match.
• Starting the second set out on a strong foot, Astruid Puig tallied back-to-back kills for the green and gold to put San Francisco in front, 2-1. Shortly thereafter, the Pirates responded with two offensive runs to jump on top 15-7 midway through the set. Down the stretch, two more errors by the Pirates kept the Dons in striking distance, but Seton Hall went on to pull away and take set two, 25-19.
• Similar to the first set, the two teams traded points to begin set three, which included the Dons regaining control, 8-7, after another kill from Nova. Answering back once more, the Pirates responded with a 13-4 run to take the lead back, 20-12.
• Aiming for one last comeback, San Francisco tallied three straight points to come within five, 23-18, but Seton Hall ultimately closed out the sweep by taking the third set, 25-18.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• In her first match as a Don, Galaviz racked up a team-high 8 kills as she also recorded 4 digs, 2 assists and 1 block on Friday.
• Notably, 2022 All-WCC Honorable Mention Abby Wadas picked up where she left off by recording 12 digs for San Francisco.
• Overall, 14 different student-athletes saw time on the court against Seton Hall, including Galaviz, Goodman, Nova, Puig and newcomers Analiese Gagliano, Kennedy Muckelroy and Ezgi Ozkan.  

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will return to the court tomorrow afternoon when they face off against New Mexico at 1:00 pm at Bren Events Center in Irvine. Live statistics for tomorrow's match are available via the team's schedule page. Live streaming will not be available.
 
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 – San Francisco Toyota - 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.