SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – First year head coach Diogo Silva and the University of San Francisco volleyball team are set to begin their 2021 fall season this upcoming weekend at the Hornet Invitational.
 
Scheduled to face No. 6 Florida to begin their campaign on Friday, Aug. 27, the Dons will also match up with the host Hornets on Saturday, Aug. 28.
 
GAME 1 INFORMATION:
Date/Time: Friday, Aug. 27- 7:00 pm
Opponent: No. 6 Florida
Site: The Nest / Sacramento, Calif.
Audio: None
Video: ESPN + 
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
 
GAME 2 INFORMATION:
Date/Time: Saturday, Aug. 28- 12:30 pm
Opponent: Sacramento State
Site: The Nest / Sacramento, Calif.
Audio: None
Video: ESPN + 
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Following the postponement of the 2020 fall season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dons finished the 2021 shortened spring season with an 8-10 overall record and a 6-10 mark in conference play, which placed them tied for sixth with Gonzaga in the final WCC regular season standings.
• At the conclusion of the spring season, former head coach Frank Lavrisha called it a career after 34 years, which included four seasons in San Francisco. Overall, Lavrisha finished his tenure with a 28-79 record with Dons. Including his 30-year stint at Regis University in Denver (Division II), Lavrisha tallied a 665-432 record during his time as a head coach.
• Individually, six student-athletes played in all 18 games for the Dons last spring: Aylen Ayub, Greta Corti, Anna Dalla Vecchia, McKenna Marshall, Orsula Staka and Katie Wagstaff. Notably, Marshall led the Dons with 310.0 total points and 281 kills, which were both good for second in the WCC. Impressively, Dalla Vecchia led the conference with 340 digs while Ayub finished fourth with 641 assists. Notably, Corti also tied for tenth in the WCC with 19 service aces.

 
SCOUTING THE GATORS:

• After finishing second in the SEC final regular season standings with a 21-4 overall record and 19-3 mark in conference play last spring, the Gators debuted at No. 6 In the AVCA Division I Coaches' Poll, marking the 30^thconsecutive season that Florida has entered the season ranked in the top 15. Dating back to 1992, only Nebraska boasts a longer active streak within Division I.
• This fall, the Gators were picked to finish second in the SEC, finishing just one-point behind defending national champion Kentucky for first place. Overall, the Gators had four student-athletes named to the Preseason All-SEC team, the most of any in their conference: T'Ara Ceasar, Lauren Forte, Thayer Hall and Marlie Monserez.
• Climbing the ranks as one of the most renowned coaches within collegiate volleyball, Mary Wise is one of only two coaches to have been named AVCA Coach of the Year at least three times (Russ Rose, Penn State, five times). Since her arrival in 1991, no other Division I program has recorded more victories than Florida, with the Gators currently sitting at 898.

 
SCOUTING THE HORNETS:

• Playing an all-conference schedule, the Hornets finished fifth overall in the final regular season standings this past spring with a 10-7 overall record. Notably, Sacramento State fell to Northern Arizona (NAU) in the Big Sky Tournament Quarterfinals in Greely, Colo.
• Last season, four players were named Second Team All-Conference for the Hornets: Bridgette Smith Caty Cordano, Kalani Hayes and Ashtin Olin. Individually, Bridgette Smith finished seventh in the conference with 189 kills and 217.5 total points. Additionally, Cordano led the Big Sky with an average of 5.14 digs per set as she tallied 324 digs in total, good for second in the conference. In her second season in Sacramento, Hayes placed third in the Big Sky with 80 blocks and fifth with a .299 hitting percentage. For Olin, the senior finished seventh in the conference with 411 assists.
• Moving into the fall, the Hornets will return 13 players from the spring, with six of those student-athletes being seniors. Overall, all six starters and the libero will return for Sacramento State.

 
SERIES HISTORY:

• Friday's match will mark the second meeting all-time between the Gators and the Dons. Looking back, Florida took down USF, 3-0, in a neutral site match on Sept. 8, 1995 in Santa Barbara, Calif.
• Having matched up with the Hornets nine times since 2002, the Dons have notched 4-5 record against Sacramento State over the last 19 years, with their most recent victory coming in a 3-0 sweep in Sacramento on Sept. 11, 2009.

 
TALE OF THE TAPE:

Florida (2020-21)		San Francisco (2020-21)
1,200	Kills	871
1,125	Assists	829
134	Aces	92
1257	Digs	1136
242.0	Blocks	123.0
.278	Kill Percentage	.186
13.6	Kills Per Set	12.4
12.8	Assists Per Set	11.8
1.5	Aces Per Set	1.3
14.3	Digs Per Set	16.2
2.8	Blocks Per Set	1.8

   
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