THIS WEEK
Match #4 San Francisco vs. Columbia
Friday, Sept. 2, 12:30 p.m. | War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Live Stats | Video

Match #5 San Francisco vs. Indiana
Friday, Sept. 2, 6:30 p.m. | War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Live Stats | Video

Match #6 San Francisco vs. Princeton
Saturday, Sept. 3, 12:30 p.m. | War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Live Stats | Video

Match #7 San Francisco vs. Campbell
Saturday, Sept. 3, 7 p.m. | War Memorial at the Sobrato Center
Live Stats | Video

For full tournament schedule please visit the USF volleyball schedule here.

Last Weekend

USF (2-1) opened the 2016 season across the country at the Benson Hospitality Invitational. With first year head coach Vicki Brown at the helm, the Dons got the new era off to a solid start after winning their first two matches.

"I thought we came out with high enthusiasm and excitement to play with each other and that enthusiasm helped us get that win over Savannah State," said Brown. "Then we got a bit of a push with UNC Asheville and I thought we handled it very well. We pushed back and they figured things out at the right moment"

USF never gave up a set in the convincing win over Savannah State. The following morning, the Dons faced a bit of adversity against UNC Asheville- dropping the first set, but then storming back to claim the four set victory over the Bulldogs. In the final game of the opening weekend, the Dons eventually dropped a four setter against hosts, Georgia.

"Against a more physical team like Georgia, that was the first time we saw that physicality across the net and it was new so we just did not know how to handle that yet," explained Brown. "It was a lesson well learned because we will see that in our conference. It gave us awareness that we need to get our game to another level this season."

Home Sweet Home

The young Dons will showcase the new faces this week at the Hilltop, as the team hosts the San Francisco Invitational. USF will play in four games during the two day event- beginning with an afternoon matchup against Columbia (0-0). The Dons are then slated to face off against Indiana (3-0) Friday evening. The Hoosiers are coming off a perfect weekend where they swept through Northern Kentucky, Evansville and Marshall at their Indiana Invitational.

On the second day of the invitational, USF will host the Princeton Tigers (0-0) for an afternoon contest, and end the week against Campbell (1-2) at 7 p.m.

"This week, we always talk about adding more pebbles to our bag," said Brown. "I'm looking to see what we take away from training this week, and how do we become better. 'Are we better this week than the last?' That is what I look forward to seeing this week."

Leading the Offense

Senior Emily Reed is leading the new-look Dons with 41 kills through the team's first three matches. Reed is averaging 3.73 kills per set and is swinging a .243 percentage. After hitting a combined total of 26 kills in the first two contests, Reed led USF with 15 kills in its four set match against Georgia.

Freshmen Kate Ashman and Tyna Adamcikova round out the Dons offense from last weekend. Ashman tallied 30 kills and is hitting a .277 average. The Cypress, Calif. native is also tied for the team lead in aces with five. Filling up the stat line from last week was Adamcikova. The 6-0 outside hitter is third in kills with 28 for a .255 attack percentage.

Setting up Success

USF showcases an international presence at the setter position with freshman Trish Koutsoukos and sophomore Montana Green creating the attempts for the offense. Koutsoukos played in all 11 sets for the Dons and compiled an impressive 62 assists (5.64 assists/set). The 5-7 setter from Sydney totaled the most assists in each of the three games for the Dons (19 vs. Savannah State, 22 vs. UNC Asheville, 21 vs. Georgia).

Green also had an impressive debut for USF after recording 31 assists (2.82 assists/set) in her 11 sets played. A transfer from George Mason, Green also had four block assists to help the Dons defensive success.

Keep on Digging

Junior defensive specialist Kim Gutierrez proved to be a steady presence for USF after leading the Dons' defense with 38 digs in only nine sets (4.22 digs/set). After a 2015 season where she battled through injury, the junior is poised to lead all of the young talent on defense. Adamcikova places second on the squad with 20 digs (1.82 digs/set). Freshman Camille Araujo played in just four sets, but recorded an outstanding total of 15 digs in the season opener against Savannah State.

Block Party

The Dons defense was the storyline from last week's action as the squad forced opponents to hit a combined .132 average. USF compiled 21 blocks through the three matches and caused 65 errors. Anchoring the defense in the middle are new faces, Marjolijn Oskam and Ashman. The 6-4 middle blocker from Bussum, Netherlands totaled nine block assists (.82 blocks/set) while Ashman compiled one solo and eight block assists (.73 blocks/set). Reed and Adamcikova each have two solo blocks which is the most on the team.

On the Horizon

Next week, USF will host its second invitational in as many weeks. The Dons are slated to compete against Brown, St. John's and UC Santa Barbara in the San Francisco Challenge on Sept. 9-10.

Single-game and season ticket options are available online, or patrons can call the ticket office at 415.422.2USF (2873) for questions or to secure your All-Sports Pass today.