SPOKANE, Wash. – Making their first stop in the Pacific Northwest, the Univeristy of San Francisco volleyball team (0-15, 0-7) battled Gonzaga (6-12, 2-5) in each set on Thursday night at the Charlotte Y. Martine Centre, but the Dons ultimately fell to the Bulldogs, 3-0.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Trading points out of the gates, Gonzaga used a 12-2 run midway through the first set to take control early, 15-6. Although the Dons would attempt to claw back with kills from Orsula Staka, Aylen Ayub and Hannah Kinnison, the Bulldogs powered through to close out the first set, 25-13.
• Keeping close, USF stayed within striking distance, 8-5, to start the second set following a kill and service ace from Lana Kutakhina. Following another kill from Ayub a few moments later, the Dons remained on the heels of Gonzaga, trailing 20-17. Using their home court to their advantage, the Bulldogs rallied off a 5-1 stretch shortly thereafter to secure the second set, 25-18.
• Jumping on top to begin the third set, Gonzaga extended their lead to 9-2 early on, but USF responded to trim their deficit to three again, 14-11, following a 4-0 run that saw two kills from Kinnison and a service ace from Tanner Pemberton. After additional kills from Kutakhina and Staka that kept the Dons close, 19-16, the Bulldogs answered with a similar sequence as they outscored USF 6-1 in the final moments to secure the set win, 25-17, and the match victory, 3-0. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• For Staka, the third-year Don set a new season-high with eight kills on Thursday night. Defensively, the Croatian also added two digs.
• Heating up, Kinnison notched her fourth straight match with at least five kills, dating back to Sept. 30 against San Diego.
• Notably, Ayub tied her season-high in kills with three while also recording at least six digs for the third consecutive match. Impressively, she also logged her first block since Sept. 11 against Utah State.

UP NEXT:
Completing their road trip, USF will head south to Portland for a matinee matchup with the Pilots on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 12:00 pm. Live streaming and live statistics are available via the team's schedule page.
 
FOLLOW US:
For more information and updates on the University of San Francisco volleyball program, be sure to follow the Dons on Twitter @USFDonsVB, @USFDonsVB on Instagram and @USFDonsVball on Facebook.