SAN FRANCISCO — The University of San Francisco volleyball team looked just as strong early Saturday as it had in Friday's sweep to open the Bay Area Invitational, but visiting Cornell changed up its rotation and stormed back to beat the Dons in four, winning 3-1 (16-25, 25-14, 25-21, 25-17) at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.


 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• San Francisco (4-4) hit .286 with 15 kills in the first set while holding the Big Red (4-2) to just .038 hitting. The Dons jumped out to a 6-2 lead and never trailed in the opening frame, leading by as many as eight before winning, 25-16, and taking a 1-0 match lead. USF scored five of the last six points with four kills from three different players and finished things off with a block from Kate Ashman and Ally Wada.
   
• That momentum didn't carry over into the second set, however. Cornell switched its lineup in the second set, starting Zoe Chamnes at setter and Jillienne Bennett at outside hitter instead of Emma Worthington and Jenna Phelps, respectively, like the first set. The move proved key, as Chamnes would finish with a team-high 21 assists and Bennett had 11 kills and a .320 hitting percentage.
   
• USF clinged to a 10-9 lead in the second, but Cornell closed the set on a 16-4 run. That run included three kills from Bennett and four assists from Chamnes. Later in the third set, San Francisco again led midway through with a 14-13 advantage, and was still tied at 16-16. But the Big Red again closed with a run, this one a 9-5 push to hold off the Dons and win, 25-21, for a 2-1 match advantage. USF pulled to within one at 22-21, on a kill from Emily Zinger, but cornell scored each of the last three points for the set victory.
   
• Cornell never trailed in the final set, securing the four-set win. San Francisco didn't let its opponent get away too easily, though. Trailing 22-10, the Dons went on a 7-1 run to make it 23-17. But a kill from Phelps and a USF attack error ended the match.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

• .322: Cornell hit .322 as a team Saturday, the highest percentage by a USF opponent this season. The Big Red hit .500 in the second and .524 in the second set and .500 in the fourth.
• 6: San Francisco had six service aces for the second straight match. Two players (Kathya Garcia, Moana To'oto'o) had two each. The Dons have had at least six aces in five of eight contests this year.
• 12: Zinger's team-leading 12 kills marked her third consecutive match with double-digit kills and tied her season high, when she also had 12 versus Nevada on Sept. 7.

COMING UP

• San Francisco will face UC Davis, Fresno State and host CSU Bakersfield next weekend at the Roadrunner Classic. Then West Coast Conference play begins on Sept. 26 with a two-match road trip to Southern California. Fans can find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.