EL PASO, Texas – After a solid start to the 2023 season, winning two matches at the UCI/Adidas Invitational last weekend, the University of San Francisco volleyball team (2-1) returns to the court to compete in the Borderland Invitational starting Thursday, August 31, at Memorial Gym.
 
Coming off two wins last weekend at the UCI/Adidas Invitational, San Francisco opens its second tournament of the season against host UTEP (3-0) at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 31. The Dons then close out the tournament with two neutral site matches against New Mexico State (2-1) at 6 p.m., on Friday, Sept. 1, and Arizona State (3-0) at 9 a.m., on Saturday, Sept. 2. 
 
MATCH 4 DETAILS:
Date: Thursday, Aug. 31
Time: 5 p.m.
Opponent: UTEP
Site: Memorial Gym
Location: El Paso, Texas
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: SIDEARM
 
MATCH 5 DETAILS:
Date: Friday, Sept. 1
Time: 6 p.m.
Opponent: New Mexico State
Site: Memorial Gym
Location: El Paso, Texas
Live Stats: SIDEARM
 
MATCH 6 DETAILS:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 2
Time: 9 a.m.
Opponent: Arizona State
Site: Memorial Gym
Location: El Paso, Texas
Live Stats: SIDEARM
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• San Francisco rallied back in the season's opening tournament, defeating New Mexico and UC Irvine in the final two matches of the UCI/Adidas Invitational.
• Maria Petkova led the team offensively throughout the tournament, accumulating 43 kills. She currently ranks second in the conference in total kills while leading the league with a 4.30 kills per set ratio. 
• Petkova and Hayden Goodman led the team in service aces during the Dons' three matches, totaling four apiece.
• Defensively, Goodman and Lindsay Oldendorf combined for 25 total blocks, with Goodman leading the team with 14.
• Aylen Ayub totaled 100 assists in the season's opening tournament, including tallying 46 in the four-set win over UC Irvine. 

SCOUTING THE MINERS:

• UTEP enters the weekend undefeated after earning three-straight wins over Washington, Grambling State, and Southeastern Louisiana at the Southeastern Showdown.
• The Miners defeated the Huskies for their third win over a Power 5 team in program history.
• Last season, the Miners finished third in Conference USA, posting a 10-4 record in conference play. The Miners reached the semifinals of last season's conference tournament, where the team fell to then-No. 22 ranked Rice.
• Conference USA Preseason Team honoree Torrance Lovesee shined during the team's first tournament, recording a team-high 35 kills over the first three matches.
• The Miners head into the Borderland Invitational, leading the league in hitting percentage with a .273 mark. 

SCOUTING THE AGGIES:

• New Mexico State is coming off two wins at the Thunderdome Classic last weekend, defeating North Florida and Denver at UC Santa Barbara.
• The Aggies are in their first season as members of Conference USA after finalizing their realignment in July. In their final season as members of the Western Athletic Conference, the program finished 2022 with a 15-12 overall record, losing in the first round of the conference tournament to Grand Canyon.
• Conference USA Preseason Team honoree Ryleigh Whitekettle led the Aggies last weekend, recording 35 total kills while ranking second in the conference with a 3.89 kills per set ratio.
• Bianca Perez leads the Aggies in total assists (44) and total service aces (seven) after the first tournament.

SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS:

• Arizona State has been off to a fast start to kick off the 2023 season, earning three 3-0 sweeps at the FGCU Invitational last weekend.
• The Sun Devils are looking to bounce back from a subpar 2022 campaign, finishing last season with a 13-19 overall record.
• Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference Team honorees Marta Levinska and Geli Cyr combined for 73 kills over the first weekend of play, leading the team and ranking fifth and sixth in the conference, respectively. 
• Levinska also leads the conference in total aces with 10 through the season's first three matches.

TRACK THE ACTION:
The tournament's opening match against UTEP on Thursday, Aug. 31, at 5 p.m., will be available to stream on ESPN+. The final two matches of this weekend's invitational will not be broadcasted. Live statistics links are available above and via the team's schedule page.
 
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.