SAN JOSE, Calif. – Making the short trip to the South Bay, the University of San Francisco volleyball team (0-7) was unable to break their skid on Thursday night at San Jose State (5-4) as the Dons fell to the Spartans in straight sets, 3-0.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Although an attack error allowed USF to officially tally the match's first point, SJSU rattled off eight of the next ten points to open play and jump out to an early 8-3 lead.
• In the following moments, the Dons would trim their deficit to as little as four (11-7), but the Spartans responded once again with two four-point runs of their own to extend their advantage to double digits, 22-11. Trading blows shortly thereafter, SJSU ultimately hung on to secure the set one win by a final of 25-14.
• Moving into set two, the Dons and Spartans played a more even set to begin as USF trailed by just one, 9-8, after a kill from Kellen Martins and another attack error from SJSU.
• Flexing their muscle, Hannah Kinnison and Shyia Richardson logged back-to-back kills for the Dons before an ace from Lana Kutakhina put the Dons on top for the first time in the match, 11-10. 
• Answering the call yet again, the Spartans rallied off a 10-3 run to firmly regain their lead, 21-14. Leaning on the comfort of their home court, SJSU buckled down in the closing moments of the set to secure a 25-17 win and a 2-0 set advantage.
• Flipping the script out of the gates, USF jumped out to an early 4-1 lead in the third set after a kill from Richardson. In what seemed to be a match of runs, the Spartans delivered another 10-2 run as the action progressed to get back in front of the Dons. Climbing to within two points at 11-9, USF showed signs of progress down the stretch, but could not find the consecutive points they needed to overpower SJSU. Hosting the Dons in their first game of a four-match home stand, the Spartans would hang on in the third set, 25-21, to sweep USF, 3-0. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• For Richardson, the freshman continues to impress in her first year as she recorded her fifth performance in seven matches with at least eight kills on Thursday night in San Jose. Overall, the League City, Texas native tallied 8 kills 5 digs and 1 block against the Spartans. Similarly, Martins also tied Richardson for the team lead with eight kills in the match.
• Defensively, Letizia Aquilino led the charge for the Dons as she collected 14 digs, marking her third-most in a match so far this season.
• Testing their lineup to determine the most effective strategy, Aylen Ayub recorded 11 assists for USF while Brunna Correa was close behind with 9 assists herself.

UP NEXT:
Returning to War Memorial at the Sobrato Center, the Dons will open a three-match homestand when they host UC San Diego, tomorrow, Friday, Sept. 17 at 5:00 pm. Looking ahead, this will mark USF's final non-conference match of the season as they are set to open WCC play against Pepperdine on Thursday, Sept. 23 followed by a battle with Loyola Marymount on Saturday, Sept. 25.
 
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