HONOLULU – In a marathon match with a total of 25 extra points played, the San Francisco volleyball team fell to Utah State 3-1 at the Stan Sherriff Center Friday evening.
Playing in its second match out of three on the island of Oahu, USF dropped sets 1, 3 and 4 to Utah State, despite multiple chances to close out the Aggies. The Dons could not capitalize on a total of 10 set-point tries before succumbing to the Aggies. After a 5-0 start, the Dons now stand at 5-3 on the season, while Utah State improves to an even 4-4.
USF's seniors led the Dons on the night.
Anja Segota finished with a 17-kill, 17-dig double-double, her fourth on the year, and
Valentina Zaloznik added 17 kills and eight total blocks in the match.
Katarina Pilepic added 12 kills for USF, sophomore setter
Kiara McKibben compiled 45 assists and freshman libero
Kim Gutierrez picked up 20 digs for the Dons.
In the first set, the Aggies jumped out to the lead but USF battled back for the 5-5 tie on a well-placed ball by Zaloznik. The ensuing point came from a
Jessica Gaffney service ace, her first of a career-high four in the match, for the Dons' first lead of the night. Both teams grappled for points in the tightly-contested frame that saw 17 ties and six lead changes. A Zaloznik kill gave USF a 20-17 lead, the Dons' largest in the frame, but the advantage evaporated. The Dons had their first chance at match point with the score at 25-24, but a prolonged rally ended up going the way of Utah State after Kaitlyn VanHoff recorded a solo block. Eventually the Aggies would take the frame 32-30 for the lead in the match.
The Dons opened the second frame with the lead, and Zaloznik's kill to center court gave USF a 6-4 lead. With Segota at the serve,
Oluoma Okaro kept the USF lead at two after her kill made it 9-7. But the Aggies would score five of the next six points to net the lead. Utah State would grow the advantage to five points on a kill by Paige Neves, but the Dons would battle back to even the match. Segota's kill with the assist from
Jurja Vlasic finished off the frame with a final score of 26-24 in favor of USF.
Heading into the third, the Dons got on the board first, as Gutierrez recorded the ace. After two-consecutive aces by Gaffney and a kill from Segota, the Dons led 7-4. Utah State used the block to get the lead at 12-11, part of a 9-2 run that saw the Aggies go up by five. The Dons eventually lost the set 25-21 after hitting .097 in the frame.
The fourth set again started strong for the Dons, as USF built an 8-3 advantage with a pair of Jessica's – Keenan and Gaffney – manning the service line. A block from Zaloznik and Segota forced the Aggies to call the timeout, but after the brief respite Gaffney added her fourth ace of the night. The Dons continued to hold the upper hand when Gaffney recorded a kill off the assist from McKibben to put the tally at 16-11 in favor of USF. The Aggie responded to knot the frame at 20 apiece and took their first lead since the opening points of the set when Pilepic's attack sailed wide to give Utah State a 22-21 advantage.
Yet again, the Dons persisted and the team was on the brink of forcing a decisive fifth set. A Zaloznik attack as batted back to USF's side of the court and the Dons were at the ready. A clutch diving dig gave Pilepic the opportunity to slam down a point and give USF a 24-23 lead. Utah State used its timeout and out of the break, the Dons' serve faltered. USF would go on to have five more opportunities to win the set before Pilepic's final crosscourt attack sailed wide to give the Aggies a 32-30 win and close out the match.
Utah State won the battle of the block 17.5 to 11, and edged out the Dons .214 to .157 in attack percentage. Assists, digs and attacks were a virtual tie, with little separation between the two squads. The tight matchup featured 44 total ties and 17 lead changes on the night.
The Dons close out action at the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Volleyball Challenge Sunday at 5 p.m. PT. USF will duel with No. 22 Hawaii at the Stan Sherriff Center, televised on OCSports.
