SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco volleyball team (9-5, 2-0 WCC) used a team effort to sweep Saint Mary's (4-8, 0-3 WCC) 3-0 in the West Coast Conference home opener Thursday evening at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- In a highly contested opening set, San Francisco fell behind early as Saint Mary's grabbed a 3-0 advantage. The Dons used a 4-0 shortly after, as Michalina Rola, Hayden Goodman, and Abby Wadas propelled the team to its first lead, 4-3. The run consisted of a combined three kills from Rola and Goodman and an Abby Wadas service ace.
- Following two straight points from the Gaels, the Dons responded with another 4-0 run to push ahead, 8-5. Goodman continued to shine on the offensive end, totaling two kills while an Aylen Ayub dump helped guide the green and gold to a three-point advantage.
- San Francisco gained momentum late in the first set, and with Saint Mary's leading 18-17, the green and gold used three kills from Maria Petkova and back-to-back service aces from Goodman to attain a 22-18 advantage. Despite a late push from the Gaels, tying the frame at 23, the Dons recorded the final two points to secure the frame, 25-23.
- San Francisco powered through the second set, as Astrid Puig and Rola led the program in the second set, totaling five kills apiece. The Dons overwhelmed the Gaels with 19 kills and a .447 hitting percentage while holding their opposition to 14 kills on 34 attempts.
- Trading the first 18 points of the frame, the Dons recorded six consecutive points to take the lead and extend it to five, 15-9. Puig capped the run with a kill, forcing the Gaels to take their first timeout of the set.
- The Dons continued to push ahead, extending their lead to seven, 18-11, and outscored the Gaels, 7-6, to close out the frame, 25-17.
- With the final frame even at four, the green and gold pulled ahead, using a 7-3 scoring run to take an 11-7 lead. The Dons continued to build on their lead late in the frame, winning 11 of the following 19 points, as a Petkova service ace solidified the run to put the team up 22-15.
- The Gaels totaled two points the rest of the way as the Dons pulled out a 25-17 third-set win to complete the match sweep.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- In a balanced team effort, six of the eight players to appear totaled kills, with Petkova leading the Dons with 12. Nearly recording a double-double, Petkova added six digs and one block.
- Rola posted 11 kills on a .300 hitting percentage, the fifth time she has hit .300 or better this season. Rola also helped on the defensive side, totaling four digs and two blocks.
- From the middle blocker position, Goodman and Delaney Ewing recorded nine kills apiece while combining for six blocks.
- As a team, San Francisco recorded a .357 hitting percentage, the highest percentage in a conference match since hitting .404 in a 3-0 win against Santa Clara on September 20, 2018.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
San Francisco returns to the Hilltop at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5, when it hosts LMU in a West Coast Conference match at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
FOLLOW US:
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MERCHANDISE:
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SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor –
Catholic Charities – 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.
