USF Remains Undefeated after Knocking off Campbell 3-1

Friday, September 5

Long Beach, Calif.

5 p.m.

University of San Francisco

4-0

Campbell

3-3

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
San Francisco	25	21	25	25	3
Campbell	16	25	19	21	1

Sophomore Kiara McKibben finished with 47 assists in USF's 3-1 victory over Campbell

Photo by: David Bush

9/5/2014 9:44:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

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LONG BEACH, Calif. – Led by a well-rounded offensive attack, the San Francisco volleyball team notched a 3-1 victory over Campbell (N.C.) in the Long Beach State Mizuno Invitational Friday night to remain undefeated on the season.

The Dons now stand at 4-0 on the year, while the Camels move to 3-3. This strong start to the season hasn't been duplicated in nearly a decade, as the Dons haven't begun the year 4-0 since the 2005 campaign.

Counting the final weekend of last season, this marks the first time since 2008's NCAA tournament run that the Dons have strung together six-straight victories. That year, USF went on a mid-season streak of 10 consecutive wins before its postseason appearance.

The Dons started strong, racing to an early overall lead after a 25-16 first set victory. USF hit .485 in the opening frame as sophomore Katarina Pilepic smashed five kills on six attempts. In the second set, USF's hitting faltered and Campbell evened the score at 1-1 heading into halftime after the 25-21 victory.

The Camels opened the third set with the first point, a kill by Lorin Thomas, but the Dons battled back for the first of nine ties in the first half of the set. With the score knotted at 10 apiece, the Dons went on a 5-2 run to earn the advantage and never looked back. USF went on to win the set 25-19 as both teams headed into what would prove to be the final frame.

Starting much like the third, USF found itself in a tight battle with ties at 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15 points. With the Dons and Camels knotted at 16 apiece, Thomas again recorded the kill and gave Campbell the advantage. The Dons scratched back to tie the game at 18-all, and Pilepic and Zaloznik combined for the block as USF regained the lead. The Dons went on to win the decisive set 25-21 to stay unscathed.

The Dons were paced by four women who recorded double-digit kill totals. Zaloznik, the reigning West Coast Conference Player of the Week, led the match with 15 kills, four aces and four blocks. Pilepic and freshman Oluma Okaro both added 11 kills on the night. Anja Segota added her fourth double-double double in as many tries with 12 kills and 14 digs on the night. Libero Kim Gutierrez dug out 26 balls for the Dons, and Kiara McKibben added 47 assists in USF's victory.

With a quick turnaround looming, the Dons face off with Army on Saturday at 11 a.m., before closing out the tournament action against the host 49ers at 7:30 p.m.