San Francisco, Calif. — A young Dons team which has been coming of age for the past three weeks nearly saw the culmination of all their hard work pay off. Ultimately, USF dropped a five-set thriller (30-28, 25-17, 25-23, 25-11, 15-12) to visiting Portland (13-10, 6-5 WCC). While the match as a whole left the Dons with a bitter taste in their mouths, individual sets brought so much joy to the Dons and their fans, none more so than the opener. 

USF fell behind 9-3 in the first set and things seemed to be trending down an all-too-familiar  road until freshman phenom Tyna Adamcikova and Senior Emily Reed got warmed up. Adamcikova led the charge back to a 9-9 game and the back-and-forth madness ensued from there. The set saw 18 ties, including a tied score at every point from 18 until a final tie at 28. 

Both teams had chances to take the set with USF having four different serves for match point while Portland saw two of their own. Ultimately it was the Pilots who did themselves in, ending the set on three errors to give the Dons the win. Adamcikova had an impressive nine kills in the first set alone while Reed was right behind her with seven. 

"We've been working so hard to get the little wins that count on the scoreboard," USF head coach Vicki Brown said. "It was not only fulfilling for myself, but also for the players and everyone who is helping our program move forward."

All of the gaining momentum from the end of Thursday's match with Gonzaga through the first set of the day rolled into a tidal wave that saw USF steam right through the second set to an impressive 25-17 victory. After the set was tied at one, USF took the lead and never relinquished it.

 

"Everything was just in a really good rhythm," Brown recalled. "Our passing, our serving, our defense. We didn't have too many weird errors. We were just really in a groove."

Then came the deciding fifth set which was as much of a roller coaster ride as the entire match had been. With tied scores throughout, a blast from Marjolijn Oskam put USF up 12-11 but Portland would finish the match with four unanswered points as a kill from Hannah Troutman would seal the Dons (4-21, 0-12 WCC) fate.

Adamcikova led all players with 20 kills to go with seven digs and an ace. "Tyna came in (to this prorgram) a competitor, especially when the team is out of rhythm," Brown said after the match. "It just adds to her intensity."

Kate Ashman was big all game for the Dons as she registered a career-high 13 kills and four blocks along with a high level of intensity and energy thorughout. "Kate, throughout the weeks has become more composed," Brown explained. "I know she has super celebrations, but as far as her play, she has been more mature which has allowed her to make better decisions."

Reed (11 kills, six digs) was so vital to the Dons effort providing the calming presence that she is uniquely qualified to bring as the team's only senior. "Emily is just someone everyone can look to and say, 'ok, if she isn't bugging out about it then we'll be ok,'" Brown said with a smile. "She definitely helps balance the team out."

Trish Koutsoukos led the team with 24 assists on the day to go with 10 digs. Shannon Levinson chipped in 21 assists of her own. Kim Gutierrez had a match-high 23 digs. Carly Lowry was big in support with a career-high seven kills, and Oskam was a force in the middle with a career-high seven solo blocks. 

The Dons will look to continue the strong play and record a first conference win when they travel to Santa Clara to take on the Broncos Friday, November 4th at 7 p.m.

VB | USF come short in a rigorous 5 set match against Portland 3-2. pic.twitter.com/hi12eu1lkG

— USF Dons Athletics (@DonsAthletics) October 29, 2016