SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Led by a season-high 19 kills from Karolina Nova, the University of San Francisco volleyball team (8-6, 2-0) defeated Portland (6-8, 1-1), 3-1, Saturday afternoon at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Getting off to a slow start, San Francisco fell behind early, trailing 6-3 early in the first set. The Dons quickly recovered, using a 4-1 run, highlighted by a Hayden Goodman solo block, tied the frame at seven.
- Trailing 16-13 midway through the set, the Dons kept it close, scoring four of the following five points to even the score at 17. Unable to gain an advantage, the Dons dropped the first set, 25-22.
- Coming back strong to start the second set, San Francisco won the first two points with a kill from Nova and a solo block Lindsay Oldendorf. Tied at seven, the Dons grabbed four of the following five points, from a kill by Goodman alongside three more from Kennedy Muckelroy to put the green and gold up 11-8.
- Leading by one, 19-18, later in the set, Muckelroy logged two more kills, followed by Maria Petkova's service ace to take a 22-18 advantage. Oldendorf secured the set for the Dons with a kill to take the frame, 25-21.
- Goodman shined at the start of the third set, helping guide the Dons to an early 5-1 lead with two service aces.
- Continuing the momentum, San Francisco went on a five-point scoring run from four kills, Goodman tallying two and one from Oldendorf and Aylen Ayub to make it 15-5. Later, kills from Nova and Ayub gave San Francisco a match point at 24-16. Petkova ended the set strongly and recorded a solo block to secure the final score of 25-19, giving the Dons a two sets to one advantage.
- Nova secured the first kill in the fourth set to get the Dons rolling. Oldendorf added a kill to the board, and Sara Denham logged an ace to put the Dons up 4-1. With Portland trailing by one, San Francisco went on a three-point scoring run started with a kill by Petkova and a solid block from Goodman and Muckelroy to make it 10-6.
- Going back and forth, the Pilots took the lead at 20-19 until Nova evened the set again with a kill. Tied at 23, Petkova and Goodman scored off a block to get to match point 24-23. The two teams traded late until Nova ended the match with a kill, solidifying the match for the Dons, 29-27.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Nova led the match with the most kills, totaling 19, a new season high for the graduate student, as she recorded a kill percentage of .413.
- Oldendorf played a vital role on both sides of the ball, recording a hitting percentage of .583 and a kill percentage of .667 from eight kills on 12 attempts. Defensively, she tallied four blocks and six digs.
- Ayub was essential in setting up 39 assists and recorded a hitting and kill percentage of .571 with four kills of seven attempts.
- Muckelroy recorded 10 kills with a percentage of .435 alongside four blocks to earn 12.5 points in today's game, for second most on the team.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
San Francisco will hit the road for the first time in conference play to face Pacific at 6 pm on Thursday, Sept. 28 in Stockton, Calif., at the Alex G. Spanos Center.
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.
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click
here to purchase.
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor – Planet Orange - 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.
