LONG BEACH, Calif. – Despite a valiant third-set comeback, the San Francisco volleyball team suffered its first defeat of the 2014 campaign at Long Beach Saturday night.
With the loss, the Dons move to 5-1 on the season, while the host 49ers sit at 5-2 after capping the Long Beach State Mizuno Invitational at Walter Pyramid.

USF was paced by nine kills from freshman Jessica Gaffney, a Temecula, Calif., native. Katarina Pilepic also finished the match with nine kills, combining for 19 total in USF's two matches on the day. Setter Kiara McKibben compiled 33 assists and three aces for the Dons, and freshman Oluoma Okaro added a team-high five blocks in the loss.

McKibben, a sophomore from Colorado Springs, Colo., finished the weekend with 106 total assists, 25 digs, nine kills and three aces to earn all-tournament honors. Also earning accolades for the Dons was senior Valentina Zaloznik. Picking up tournament awards for the second-straight weekend, Zaloznik was named to the all-tournament team after pacing the dons with 30 kills, 12 total blocks and six service aces in USF's three matches.

The Dons struggled to score points against a stout 49er front line, as Long Beach State finished the night with 21 total blocks. Despite finishing with a .088 attack percentage, USF kept pace with the 49ers for much of the night before succumbing.

USF and Long Beach State opened the match in a tight duel, and USF took its first lead of the night with Okaro and Gaffney combined for the stuff as the score stood at 8-7. The Dons earned the following point on a Kim Gutierrez kill, but the 49ers quickly regained the advantage with a 7-1 run that forced a USF timeout. Long Beach State went on to take the first set 25-19 and continued its scoring momentum into the second.

The score was knotted at five apiece after 49er server Chelsea Cabrajac committed the error, but the score would never pull in favor for the Dons. USF trailed by just two points as Okaro leapt for the solo block with the tally at 12-10 in favor of the home team, but Long Beach would string together seven of the next 10 points to build a lead before eventually closing out the frame 25-21.

After the halftime break, the Dons came out determined to stage a comeback and earned the 25-23 victory in the third set. USF opened the set with gusto and build a six-point advantage with Piliepic's kill put the score at 15-9 in favor of the Dons. Long Beach State would battle back to tie the set at 15 each, and again at 17 when eventual tournament MVP Alex Reid pounded the kill for the 49ers. Long Beach State edged out to the 20-19 lead late in the action after Jenelle Hudson's ball scored a point but USF would yet again scratch back to even the set at 20. With the game again tied at 23-all after a Gaffney kill, Gutierrez served up an ace for the Dons and Gaffney closed the set for USF, 25-23.

Long Beach State controlled the final set of the night from the outset, going on to score the 25-13 fourth-set win to end the match.

The Dons next travel to Hawaii to play in the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Volleyball Challenge. USF meets Pac-12 opponent UCLA Thursday at 8 p.m. PT, before facing off with Utah State and Hawaii.

Tournament MVP: Alex Reid (LBSU)

All-Tournament Team
Mary Crema (Campbell)
Bre Mackie (LBSU)
Kiara McKibben (USF)
Ashley Murray (LBSU)
Nicole Perri (Army)
Valentina Zaloznik (USF)