PORTLAND, Ore. — Runs by both teams swung momentum back and forth Thursday night, but it was host Portland who would capitalize the most, as the Pilots defeated San Francisco 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-18) in a West Coast Conference match at the Chiles Center.
Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Momentum shifted back and forth quickly in the middle of the first set. San Francisco (8-8, 1-4 WCC) scored four straight points to take a 12-9 lead, but Portland (13-4, 1-4 WCC) answered right back with a 9-2 run that made all the difference. The Pilots scored six consecutive points during the run on three USF errors, two service aces and a kill from Reghan Pukis. At the run's end, the Pilots had built their lead to four points at 18-14 and would lead by no less than three while heading for a 25-18 opening-set victory.
Â
- The Dons led 19-17 late in set two, looking to even the match, but Portland went on another game-changing run to come from behind and win the set, 25-21. The Pilots stormed back and closed the set with an 8-2 stretch, including scoring six consecutive points. USF had gone on its own 9-3 run earlier in the set to erase a four-point deficit. The second set featured seven ties and three lead changes.
Â
- Portland took command of the third set from the start, jumping out to leads of 7-3 and 13-6. But San Francisco did not go away quietly. The Dons scored eight of 12 points during one stretch that made it just a three-point set at 19-16. Two aces from Anna Dalla Vecchia and two Pilots errors pushed the run. But Portland grabbed the momentum right back after a timeout, closing the set with a 6-2 sprint that featured kills from four different players, as it completed the sweep with a 25-18 third set win.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- .054: Portland held San Francisco to .054 hitting, the Dons' lowest hitting percentage in a match this season. The Dons had not hit below .110 all season before Thursday night.
- 6: Dalla Vecchia served up six aces. That thrust her into the team lead with 20 on the year.
COMING UP
- San Francisco travels further north to face Gonzaga at noon Saturday in Spokane, Wash. The Dons then return home next week to host No. 1-ranked BYU on Thursday and San Diego on Oct. 13.
