Dons Compete at USAV Collegiate Challenge

Saturday, April 11

Hermosa Beach, Calif.

10 a.m.

University of San Francisco

Pepperdine

4/12/2015 7:02:00 PM | Beach Volleyball

Final Dual Results | Final Pairs Results | USAV Collegiate Challenge Recap - Day 1 | USAV Collegiate Challenge Recap - Day 2

HERMOSA BEACH, Calif. – The San Francisco sand volleyball team took part in USA Volleyball's Collegiate Beach Challenge Saturday and Sunday in sunny Southern California.

One of the highlights of the weekend came in pairs play, as USF's No. 5 duo of Katarina Pilepic and Emily Reed downed Boise State's No. 4 pair in a tight battle. The Dons took the 21-17, 12-21, 15-12 victory over Laney Hayes and Taylor Murphey to advance to the third round in the bronze bracket.

(4/12/2015) SAND at USAV Collegiate Challenge

The Dons conclude the regular season with an 8-9 mark in dual match play, the highest win tally in USF's three seasons on the sand. Playing a stout schedule, USF faced seven ranked opponents on the 2015 schedule.

USF dropped two tough matches against top-ranked opponents in duals, falling to No. 4-ranked Pepperdine 5-0 in Saturday's opening match. Then, the Dons took on Long Beach State, No. 6 in the AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball Poll.

In the Dons' matchup against the 49ers, USF's stretched four of its five matches to a third set. At the Nos. 4 and 5 positions, the Dons rallied after first-set losses to even the score in the second, before their opponents eventually came away with the point. For the No. 3 pairing of Kiara McKibben and Oluoma Okaro, the duo won the first in extra action by a mark of 24-22. Long Beach State's pair of Jenelle Hudson and Bre Mackie rallied for the win in the second before eventually taking the point after a 15-8 third set.

At No. 2, Jessica Gaffney and Sara Staengle found themselves in a deficit after dropping the first set. A hotly-contested second set went the way of the Dons, 26-24, before the 49ers came back to take the point.

No. 4 Pepperdine 5, San Francisco 0
Hermosa Beach, Calif. | April 11
No. 1 – Lara Dykstra/Becca Strehlow (PEP) def. Courtney Sabahi/Valentina Zaloznik (USF); 25-23, 21-12
No. 2 – Kelley Larsen/Kellie Woolever (PEP) def. Jessica Gaffney/Sara Staengle (USF); 21-6, 21-15
No. 3 – Emily Cook/Delaney Knudsen (PEP) def. Kiara McKibben/Oluoma Okaro (USF); 21-12, 21-11
No. 4 – Sophie Asprey/Katie Messing (PEP) def. Katarina Pilepic/Emily Reed (USF); 21-9, 21-11
No. 5 – Corinne Quiggle/Taylor Racich (PEP) def. Jessica Keenan/Anja Segota (USF); 21-7, 21-9

No. 6 Long Beach State, San Francisco 0
Hermosa Beach, Calif. | April 11
No. 1 – Dalainey Aigner-Swesey/Chelsea Cabrajac (LBSU) def. Courtney Sabahi/Valentina Zaloznik (USF); 21-15, 21-10
No. 2 – Anete Brinke/Tyler Jackson (LBSU) def. Jessica Gaffney/Sara Staengle (USF); 21-9, 24-26, 15-8
No. 3 – Jenelle Hudson/Bre Mackie (LBSU) def. Kiara McKibben/Oluoma Okaro (USF); 22-24, 21-13, 15-8
No. 4 – Andrea McHugh/Ciana Wagner (LBSU) def. Katarina Pilepic/Emily Reed (USF); 21-15, 20-22, 15-11
No. 5 – Rachel Nieto/Sammee Thomas (LBSU) def. Jessica Keenan/Anja Segota (USF); 21-15, 20-22, 15-11

Pairs Brackets

Gold Bracket –
1st Rd: Dugan/Phelps (Grand Canyon 1) def. Courtney Sabahi/Valentina Zaloznik (USF 1); 21-13, 21-8

Silver Bracket –
1st Rd (4/11): Alex Green/Brooke Razo (Grand Canyon 3) def. Kiara McKibben/Oluoma Okaro (USF 3); 21-12, 21-12
2nd Rd: Sara Baugh/Sierra Nobley (Boise State 2) def. Jessica Gaffney/Sara Staengle (USF 2); 22-20, 19-21, 15-10

Bronze Bracket –
1st Rd (4/11): Becca Conrad/Alex Goodman (Grand Canyon 5) def. Jessica Keenan/Anja Segota (USF 5); 21-12, 21-17
2nd Rd: Katarina Pilepic/Emily Reed (USF 5) def. Laney Hayes/Taylor Murphey (Boise State 4); 21-17, 12-21, 15-12
3rd Rd: Nicolette Martin/Allie Wheeler (USC 4) def. Pilepic/Reed (USF 5); 21-6, 21-11