Complete match notes (PDF)University of San Francisco (11-9, 4-4 WCC)at Pacific (16-5, 5-3 WCC)Thursday, Oct. 23 | Alex G. Spanos Center | 7 p.m. | Live stream:
thew.tv | Stats:
usfstats.comat Saint Mary's (6-12, 2-4 WCC)Saturday, Oct. 25 | McKeon Pavilion | 1 p.m. |Â
Live stream: thew.tv | Stats: usfstats.com#WeAreSF
The San Francisco volleyball team split its last weekend on the road, falling to No. 24 Loyola Marymount in five before picking up the victory over Pepperdine. The win over the Waves was the Dons' fourth in a row over the perennial power, and its first true road victory of the season.Â
What 2 Watch 4
San Francisco's
Valentina Zaloznik continues to be a dominant force for the Dons in her senior season, compiling 228 kills on .335 hitting and a team-high 87 blocks. Currently, her total blocks figure stands at 70th in NCAA Division I volleyball.
Offensively,
Katarina Pilepic leads the squad in kills with 276 to go with 53 total blocks.
Kiara McKibben took over primary setting duties in 2014 and has assisted on 675 scoring plays for the Dons, an average of 8.77 assists per set.Â
Freshman
Kim Gutierrez is leading the defensive charge, amassing 356 digs, and three other Dons have compiled at least 100 digs on the year. Nationally, Gutierrez' numbers are ranked 70th in the country. As a team, USF's 1,202 total digs leads the WCC.
Know the Foe
Pacific enters the weekend touting a 16-5 record, and a 5-3 mark in WCC play. The Tigers are paced by Lexi Elman's 271 total kills and team-high 23 service aces. Kat Schulz has added 217 kills on the season. Pacific relies on a duo of setters with Andie Shelton (6.54 a/s) and Kimmy Whitson (4.96 a/s) directing the offense. Defensively, Gillian Howard leads with team with 87 total blocks and Katrin Gotterba scoops out 4.01 digs per set.Â
Saint Mary's, USF's Saturday foe, stands at 6-12 (2-6 WCC) entering the weekend's contests. The Gaels are propelled offensively by Samantha Tinsley's 233 kills and 207 digs, assisted primarily by Dalas Dodd (6.36 a/s). After going through a rough nine-match losing spell, Saint Mary's is riding a two-match winning streak to begin the second half of conference action.
Gaels Remix
In USF's first meeting of the season against Saint Mary's, the Dons raced to a sweep at War Memorial Gym, 25-21, 25-16, 25-21. In the contest,
Valentina Zaloznik exited the court after her milestone 1,000th career kill on Sept. 30. [
match recap]
Match leaders: Pilepic (USF) - 15 kills, McKibben (USF) - 20 assists, Tinsley (SMC) - 15 digs, Salmons (SMC) - 4 blocks
USF Versus
All-time vs. the Pacific Tigers: 2-12 • 0-5 in Stockton
Current streak: L1
Last meeting: 11/14/13 (A) • L, 1-3Â
 • 25-23, 20-25, 18-25, 22-25
All-time vs. the Saint Mary's Gaels: 37-37 • 12-22 in Moraga
Current streak: W1
Last meeting: 09/30/13 (H) • W, 3-0Â
• 25-21, 25-16, 25-21
Records Watch
Senior
Valentina Zaloznik is racing up the record books in myriad categories:
 5.   Total Blocks - 387
 7.   Solo Blocks - 73
 7.     Kills - 1,071
 8.     Aces - 102
After compiling 13 kills on 14 attempts with no errors, or .929, in USF's sweep of Fordham on Aug. 30, she now owns the single-match record for hitting percentage.Â
Last Time Out
With a balanced offensive attack and stout defense, USF powered to a 3-1 win at Pepperdine, extending its streak over the Waves to four. The Dons got three double-double performances on the day -
Katarina Pilepic (15 kills, 12 digs),
Sara Staengle (13 kills, 10 digs) and
Kiara McKibben (42 assists, 10 digs). [
match recap]
A Look Ahead
After completing its four-match road swing, USF returns home to tussle with the two current WCC leaders. The Dons meet San Diego at 7 p.m. on Oct. 30, and open up the month of November against No. 12 BYU Nov. 1 at 1 p.m.
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.VolleyballCheck out video of the Dons in action at www.youtube.com/usfdonsathletics
