VB | Dons Battle Gaels In Four-Set Defeat - University of San Francisco Athletics

Tuesday, September 25

Moraga, Calif.

7:00 P.M.

University of San Francisco

8-5, 1-1WCC

Saint Mary's

10-3, 2-1WCC

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
San Francisco	19	23	27	18	1
Saint Mary's (CA)	25	25	25	25	3

Ally Wada posted a double-double with 11 assists and 12 digs Tuesday night at Saint Mary's.

Photo by: Christina Leung

VB | Dons Battle Gaels In Four-Set Defeat

9/25/2018 9:34:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

MORAGA, Calif. — The San Francisco volleyball team saw its six-match winning streak come to an end Tuesday on the road, as East Bay rival Saint Mary's downed the Dons, 3-1 (25-19, 25-23, 25-27), in a West Coast Conference match at McKeon Pavilion.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Dons (8-4, 1-1 WCC) scored the first point of the first set to kick off the match, but Saint Mary's (9-3, 2-1 WCC) went on a 5-0 run and would not relinquish the lead again. Trailing by 10 points, the Dons made a push late in the set with a 10-4 run, pulling to within four at 23-19. Kills from three different Dons, as well as six errors by SMC made it close, but the Gaels were able to notch the final two points for a 25-19 set victory.
USF bounced right back in set two after dropping the first. The set featured nine ties and three lead changes, including an 8-1 run that gave the Dons a 14-11 advantage. Back-to-back service aces by Kathya Garcia coupled with four Saint Mary's errors helped spur the run. But the Gaels weren't finished, as they went on a 9-3 stretch that gave them a 21-18 lead.
USF made its own comeback with three straight points to tie the second set at 22-22 and was looking to tie the match at 1-1. However, Saint Mary's scored three of the next four points with kills from three different players to edge out the 25-23 set victory and take a 2-0 match lead.
The third set was even closer, as the Dons led for much longer this time after a 6-2 run midway through that gave them another 14-11 advantage. This frame had 10 ties and two lead changes. USF reached set point twice thanks to kills from Emily Zinger, but Saint Mary's fought it off both times. The Dons were finally able to score back-to-back points in extra play to take a 27-25 set victory and pull to within 2-1 in the match.
San Francisco continued to fight in the fourth set, pulling to within 16-14 midway through. Saint Mary's gained some distance with a quick 4-1 sprint to go ahead 20-15 before finishing off the match win with a 25-18 set victory.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

2: Both of the Dons' setters posted double-doubles. Erin Anthony logged 16 assists and 10 digs, while Ally Wada tallied 11 assists and 12 digs.
10: McKenna Marshall led the Dons with 10 kills. It was her fourth double-digit kills match of the season.

COMING UP

The Dons return to War Memorial at Sobrato Center for two WCC matches against Southern California foes. USF hosts Pepperdine on Thursday, then welcomes Loyola Marymount on Saturday. Fans can find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.