Match 22: USF (15-6, 2-6 WCC) vs. Saint Mary's (6-12, 1-7 WCC)
Thursday, Oct. 22 | 7 p.m.| War Memorial GymTrends - Current: L1 | Last 5: 2-3 | Last 10: 3-7
Last meeting: 10/25/14 (A) • L, 1-3; 23-25, 28-30, 30-28, 20-25
Los Locos will be hosting a tailgate with FREE wings as well as several promotional things! The student tailgate will be hosted from 6–7 p.m.this Thursday in the UC first floor prior to the women's soccer match against No. 5 BYU and the volleyball match against Saint Mary's.
Match 23: USF vs. Pacific (13-6, 4-4 WCC)
Saturday, Oct. 24 | 1 p.m. | War Memorial GymTrends - Current: L4 | Last 5: 1-4 | Last 10: 2-8
Last meeting: 09/29/15 (A) • L, 2-3; 19-25, 25-23, 20-25, 28-26, 17-19
Any kids in costume at Saturday's this upcoming will get FREE candy, and the chance to walk in the Halloween costume parade at halftime of the match. Get in the Halloween spirit early and come on out to the Hilltop!
#15sports1team
The San Francisco volleyball team is happy to be back in the friendly confines of War Memorial Gym, where the Dons have won 72.7 percent of its home matches this season. The team is looking to snap a three-match losing streak against the visiting Gaels from Moraga, and avenge a tough five-set loss on the road against the Tigers earlier this season.
Broadcast Information
Livestats are available for all matches at usfstats.com. Streaming for all Dons volleyball home matchesis available free of charge on theW.tv.
All the action. Anytime. Anywhere.
What 2 Watch 4
Katarina Pilepic leads the squad in total kills (279), kills per set (3.77) and points (314.0), standing in the WCC top 10 in each category. Freshman
Madison Murtagh has been a stout presence at the net, compiling 87 total blocks to rate sixth overall in the WCC, and the top freshman. She stands in second in the conference in hitting percentage with a mark of .347.
Setting duties have been split between the duo of
Kiara McKibben and
Jurja Vlasic, with McKibben pacing the team with 495 assists for the Dons. Libero
Kim Gutierrez leads the squad with 268 digs, or 4.00 per set, to help anchor USF's defensive efforts.
As a team, USF is second in the WCC in hitting percentage at .261, with Murtagh joined by
Oluoma Okaro (.341 - 3rd in the WCC).
By the Numbers
Kim Gutierrez … needs 29 digs to move to 15th on the all-time list passing Jaime Schopflin (801 digs; 96-98)
Kiara McKibben … stands in seventh on the career assists tally after passing Leanna Ludes (1783 assists; 09-12), and needs 133 assists to become the seventh Don to reach the 2,000-assist mark
Katarina Pilepic … is climbing up the USF records books after overtaking Malina Terrell ('10-13 - 914 kills) for 12th in the Dons' match at Pepperdine. She needs just 81 kills to be the 11th woman to hit 1,000 kills in her career as a Don
Know the Foes
Saint Mary's stands at 6-12 on the year, and the squad posted its lone conference victory at Pepperdine, five matches ago. The Gaels are led by Lindsey Knudsen 187 kills, 2.97 per set, and Mary Hernandez assists on 9.76 scoring plays per set. Madi Wilkerson has been holding down the defensive effort scooping up a total of 261 digs on the season.
Pacific enters the weekend with a 13-6 overall record, and a 4-4 mark in WCC play. In their last outing, the Tigers halted a three-match losing streak by taking down Saint Mary's in a five-set battle. The Tigers are paced by Lexi Elman's league-leading 4.88 kills per set. Also solid on the serve, Elman is third in the league in aces (0.41) and teammate Maycie LaBass (0.36) stands in fifth.
Take Two with the Tigers
In the first meeting of the season between USF and Pacific, the two teams took the match to the brink before the Tigers prevailed, 3-2.
The tightly contested match featured 54 tie scores and 20 lead changes throughout the night. The final two frames went to extra points, and in the fifth set the squads had five match-point opportunities before the Tigers held on for the victory.
Last Time Out
USF jumped out on Pepperdine early, taking the first set victory before dropping the next three in Malibu.
USF junior
Katarina Pilepic led the team against the Waves with 15 kills, while
Oluoma Okaro added 12 kills on .435 hitting and a team-high five blocks.
Jurja Vlasic finished with 20 assists to pace the Dons while Jessica Kennan scooped up a season-best libero position.
Pilepic's kills tally in the match propelled her to 12th on USF's career listings and she now needs under 100 kills to reach the plateau of 1,000.
A Look Ahead
After taking on two Bay Area foes this week, the Dons hit the road for the Pacific Northwest. First up is Portland on Oct. 29 before a Halloween match at Gonzaga to close the month.
Get Connected
Fans can follow the Dons in a variety of ways:Via the departmental Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat with the username donsathletics.Through team-specific Twitter (@USFDonsVB) and Facebook (University.of.San.Francisco.Volleyball)On YouTube at USFDonsAthletics, where fans can view video segments onlineOn Comcast SportsNet California in USF Athletics' monthly show, "Behind the Mask"With previews, recaps, videos, features and more as seen on USFDons.com
