SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco volleyball team (14-13, 7-8 WCC) dropped a four-set match to Santa Clara (9-16, 4-8 WCC), falling 3-1 Wednesday evening at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Taking an early advantage, San Francisco opened the first set with a 6-0 lead, as Aylen Ayub opened the scoring with a service ace.
- The lead ballooned to seven, 12-5, with kills from Michalina Rola, Maria Petkova, and a Hayden Goodman service ace helping expand the Dons' advantage.
- Santa Clara gained its first lead of the set shortly after, using a 10-0 scoring run to take a 15-12 advantage.
- Trailing by four, 19-15, the Dons leveled the frame at 19 with a 4-0 run from kills by Astrid Puig and Goodman alongside an ace from Abby Wadas. The Broncos regained the lead following back-to-back kills from Grace Flanagan and Oren Abutbul and later held on for a 25-22 first-set win.
- San Francisco's defense highlighted the start of the second set, forcing Santa Clara into three errors while Astrid Puig added a kill to give the green and gold a 4-1 lead.
- Trailing by one, 5-4, the Dons quickly regained the lead, 8-5, with four straight points, two kills, and a block from Goodman and Rola.
- Exchanging points throughout, Santa Clara came from behind to tie the frame at 14 until San Francisco pulled ahead with five straight points. Battling back, the Broncos scored seven of the following nine points to even it at 21.
- The Dons evened the match at one set apiece, winning the final four points to secure the set, 25-21. Delaney Ewing shined in the final points, recording a kill and teaming up with Amelia Dombrowska for a block to give the green and gold the set win.
- In the third set, Santa Clara jumped out to an early 8-3 and continued to stretch its advantage to seven, 13-6, following an attack error from Petkova.
- The Dons continued to battle, getting to within three, 14-11, before the Broncos used a 10-5 run to expand their margin to seven, 24-16. Facing set point, the Dons scored five straight, highlighted by a Jamie Low service ace, to trim the deficit to 24-21. The Broncos ultimately earned the final point to win the frame, 25-21.
- The green and gold, tied at nine in the fourth set, won six of the following nine points to gain a three-point edge, 15-12. The Broncos responded with a 7-2 run, capped off with a Tia Kapihe kill to put the team up 19-17.
- Despite taking a 20-19 lead later in the frame, the Dons dropped six of the last eight points as the Broncos secured the match win, 25-22.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Goodman led the team offensively and defensively, recording a team-high 11 kills and a .400 hitting percentage while posting five blocks.
- Rola and Puig also reached double-digit kills, totaling 10 apiece.
- An asset on both sides of the ball, Aylen Ayub tallied a game-high 35 assists and a team-high 13 digs over the four sets.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
San Francisco competes in its final home match of the season when it takes on San Diego at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 23, at War Memorial at the Sobrato 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
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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.
