Air Force Tops USF in Saturday Matinee

Saturday, September 17

USAF Academy, Colo.

11:00 am

University of San Francisco

7-4,0-0WCC

Air Force

8-4,0-0Mountain West

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
San Francisco	24	25	22	23	1
Air Force	26	17	25	25	3

Photo by: Christina Leung

9/17/2022 3:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Closing out competition in the Thin Air Challenge, the University of San Francisco volleyball team (7-4) fell in a hard-fought matchup at Air Force on Saturday afternoon as the Falcons topped the Dons, 3-1, in Colorado Springs.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Matching each other stride for stride to open the match, USF grabbed an early 11-8 lead in the first set after back-to-back kills from Shyia Richardson and Claire Crijns. As the action played on, the Dons held a 21-16 lead towards the end of the set, but the Falcons were ultimately able to rally back and record seven of the final ten points to claim the first set, 26-24.
Jumping out to another early advantage, the Dons regained momentum on another kill from Crijns and a service ace from Richardson as they led 13-8 midway through the second set. Finding their momentum on offense, USF went on to dominate with a 9-1 run to close out the second set, 25-17, and even the match at 1-1.
Moving into the third set, Air Force responded by grabbing control with a 17-11 lead, but the Dons were able to claw back with an 8-2 stretch of their own to come within two points, 19-17. Defending their home court, the Falcons hung on to secure the third set, 25-22, and jump on top 2-1 in the match.
Beginning the fourth set on a 5-1 run, USF held a lead over Air Force once again as they continued to mount a comeback. In a battle that saw both teams display full effort, the Falcons were able to go back in front, 19-18 with a 6-1 run midway through the set. Fighting until the final whistle, the Dons tied the set at 23 after a service error from Air Force, but the Falcons then tallied the next two points to notch the set win and secure the 3-1 victory.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

Leading the way for USF once again, Richardson (12) and Crijns (11) each tallied double-digit kills for the Dons as the duo combined for 31 of the team's 65 points.
Defensively, Abby Wadas recorded 19 digs for the green and gold, marking the seventh time in eleven matches in which the freshman has recorded 10+ digs.
Serving as a spark plug off the bench, Lauren Perri registered season-highs with four kills and eight blocks against the Falcons.

UP NEXT:
USF will return home to the Hilltop to begin West Coast Conference play next Friday, Sept. 23 when they host Santa Clara for a 7:00 pm matchup. Live streaming, live statistics and tickets 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.