University of San Francisco
Santa Clara
11/14/2026 3:13:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The University of San Francisco volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Santa Clara in a five-set West Coast Conference thriller Saturday afternoon, securing a 25-15, 11-25, 12-25, 25-22, 16-14 victory behind a match-winning service ace from Laura Amaro.
Petra Fritz led the Dons with 13 kills, eight digs and two service aces, while Katariina Korhonen recorded a double-double with 11 kills and a team-high 17 digs. Maeve Bailey added eight kills on a team-best .412 hitting percentage, while Jordan Smart dished out a team-high 22 assists.
San Francisco (12-14, 4-9 WCC) came out strong in the opening set, recording 12 kills on a .290 hitting percentage while limiting Santa Clara (11-14, 7-6 WCC) to a .029 clip. The Dons built a 16-9 advantage before extending their lead to 23-14. Emma Neukirchen closed out the frame with a kill to secure the 25-15 victory.
The Broncos responded in the following two sets, finding their offensive rhythm while San Francisco struggled to maintain its early momentum. Santa Clara jumped ahead 9-2 in the second set and continued to pull away, earning a 25-11 victory. The Broncos carried that momentum into the third frame, opening with eight unanswered points before taking the set 25-12 to move ahead 2-1 in the match.
Facing a must-win fourth set, the Dons responded with renewed offensive momentum. Fritz led the charge with six kills in the frame, helping San Francisco build a 19-14 advantage. Santa Clara battled back, tying the score at 22, but the Dons answered with three consecutive points. A block from Maeve Bailey and Hokulani Perez put San Francisco back in front before Smart delivered a service ace to reach set point. Bailey followed with a block to secure the 25-22 victory and force a decisive fifth set.
The final frame proved to be a back-and-forth battle, featuring 13 ties and five lead changes as neither team was able to create separation. San Francisco held an 8-7 advantage at the switch before the teams continued trading points. With the score tied at 12, Bailey recorded back-to-back kills to give the Dons a 14-12 lead and bring them within one point of victory.
Santa Clara refused to back down, scoring consecutive points to even the frame at 14. Fritz responded with a kill to put San Francisco back on top before Amaro delivered the match-winning service ace to seal the 16-14 victory and complete the comeback.
The Dons finished with 48 kills, 54 digs, nine team blocks and seven service aces. Bailey recorded five of her eight kills in the decisive fifth set, while Neukirchen finished with seven kills and Sojic added eight. Amaro anchored the defense with eight digs and three assists.
San Francisco returns to action Thursday, Nov. 19, when the Dons travel to Stockton to face Pacific at the Alex G. Spanos Center. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
