#WeAreSF
The San Francisco volleyball team is riding high after opening West Coast Conference action with a pair of victories at War Memorial Gym. Going up against Bay Area foes Santa Clara and Saint Mary's, the Dons were firing on all cylinders and swept both opponents. USF now sits at 9-5 on the year, riding a four-match winning streak, and a seven-match home winning streak dating back to 2013.
USF is coming off a 2013 season in which the Dons finished the year with a final record of 13-16, and a WCC mark of 9-9 to take fourth in the league.
What 2 Watch 4
San Francisco's Valentina Zaloznik continues to be a dominant force for the Dons in her senior season, compiling 159 kills on .361 hitting and a team-high 58 blocks. In the Dons' last match against Saint Mary's, Zaloznik tallied her 1,000th career kill for the Green and Gold.
Offensively, Katarina Pilepic  is leads the squad in kills with 165 to go with 31 blocks. Freshman Kim Gutierrez is leading the defensive charge, amassing 223 dig, but three other Dons have compiled at least 100 digs on the year. Kiara McKibben took over primary setting duties in 2014 and has assisted on 427 scoring plays for the Dons, an average of 8.54 assists per set.
Know the Foe
No. 10 BYU stands at 12-2 on the season, and sport a 3-0 conference mark. The Cougers are led by All-American Jennifer Hamson's 171 total kills on .363 hitting. Solid on the block, three women average at least a block a set - Hamson (1.29 b/s), Amy Boswell (1.64 b/s) and Whitney Young (1.71 b/s). The Dons have never defeated the Cougars in their seven meetings.
San Diego stands at 9-6 (2-1 WCC) on the year, and enters the second week of the conference schedule ranked No. 23 in the AVCA poll. The Toreros are paced by Alaysia Brown's 181 kills. Jianna Bonomi assists on 7.63 kills per set and Hunter Jennings is leading the team with 200 digs.Â
USF Versus
All-time vs. BYU Cougars: 0-7
Current streak: L7  • Last meeting: 11/07/13 (H) • L, 0-3; 20-25, 19-25, 8-25
All-time vs. San Diego Toreros: 16-45
Current streak: L5  • Last meeting: 11/09/13 (H) • L, 2-3; 18-25, 27-25, 26-24, 23-25, 10-15
 | Last Time Out
USF is coming off its first weekend in WCC play, where the Dons defended home court against Santa Clara and Saint Mary's. In the match against the Gaels, the Dons outhit Saint Mary's .284 to .125, outdug their opponents 51 to 38 and were paced by Katarina Pilepic's 15 kills. The double-digit kill mark is her fifth consecutive match with at least 10 kills for the power hitter. [match recap]
A Look Ahead
After the road trip against ranked opponents, the Dons return home to face off with Pacific Northwest teams Gonzaga and Pacific on Oct. 9 and 11.
Records Watch Â
Career Kills
8. Â Kathy Schindler (1982-85) - 1,052
9. Â Chiara Lawrence (1993-96) - 1,011
10. Valentina Zaloznik (2011-) - 1,002
11. Laura Tinetti (1997-00) - 976
Career Blocks   Â
5. Â Tracy Harrison (1982-85) - 372
6. Alix Gombos (2005-08) - 359
7. Valentina Zaloznik (2011-) - 358
8. Laura Tinetti (1997-00) - 357
Get Connected
Fans can keep up on the latest in USF Athletics in a variety of ways. Follow USF Athletics on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ DonsAthletics Follow USF volleyball on Facebook at www.facebook.com/University.of.SanFrancisco.Volleyball
Check out video of the Dons in action at www.youtube.com/usfdonsathletics |
