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SAN FRANCISCO – In its eighth match against a ranked opponent this season, the San Francisco volleyball team prevailed 3-1 over No. 24 Pepperdine on Saturday at War Memorial Gym.
USF (15-11, 6-7 WCC) powered to wins in the first, third and fourth sets to take the match from the visiting Waves (18-10, 707 WCC) and earn the resounding 25-23, 15-25, 25-20, 25-19 win.
Highlighted on the day was the play of
Valentina Zaloznik, who finished with a team-high .457 hitting percentage and an 18-kill, 11-dig double-double in the match. She also finished with six total blocks, one solo, in the match.
Ester de Vries was close behind and her 20-kill effort that was coupled with eight digs in the win.
Leanna Ludes also posted a double-double with 45 assists and 12 digs for the Dons.
USF won the first set 25-23 before allowing the Waves to even the score in the second. But at halftime, the Dons regrouped and reloaded coming out of the break.
“When you play a Top 25 team, they're not going to go away; they're there for a reason,” coach Gilad Doran said after the win. “During the halftime we talked about our will, about commitment to one another and about everyone just wanting to make a play. I was pleased how we came up in game three and then in game four how we really stepped it up … Today we wanted it more than them, and you've got to give our team credit for stepping up and playing."
USF won the third set 25-20 to take the lead and remained in the driver's seat to close out the match. The Dons finished the fourth set with a remarkable .405 hitting percentage, with 18 kills in the frame to send the Waves out with a loss.
This contest marks the start of a three-game homestand to complete the regular season. USF next welcomes Saint Mary's to the court at War Memorial Gym for a 6:30 p.m., showdown on Thursday night.
