SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – In the home opener, the University of San Francisco volleyball team (4-6) opened the USF Challenge with a 3-1 victory over San Jose State Thursday evening at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• In a back-and-forth first set, the two teams battled, splitting the 14 points of the match.
• Shortly after, leading 13-11, the Dons, led by a solid defensive effort forcing the Spartans (7-4) into four attack errors, recorded a 6-0, taking control of the frame.
• Despite a Spartan rally late in the set, Maria Petkova led the Dons in the later stages, tallying two of her team-leading five first-set kills to guide the Dons to a 25-21 win.
• After dropping a tightly contested second frame, the Dons bounced back in the third, erasing a deficit to regain the advantage in the match. Trailing 10-7 midway through the frame kills from Astrid Puig and Karolina Nova propelled the Dons on a 3-0 scoring run to even the score at 10.
• Despite falling behind multiple times throughout the remainder of the set, the Dons won five of the final seven points, securing the third set, 26-24, in dramatic fashion with a block from Puig and Hayden Goodman.
• The Dons dominated the fourth frame, taking the lead midway through the set. With the score tied at 13, the Dons used a 6-0 run to take a commanding 19-13 lead. Winning six of the final eight points, the Dons swept through the final stages of the set, securing the match win on a Petkova ace.  

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Petkova led the Dons offensively throughout the match, tallying 18 of the team's 51 kills.
• Nova also recorded a double-digit kill total, compiling 11 and a stellar .320 hitting percentage.
• Defensively, Goodman recorded a season-high two solo blocks and five block assists, while Aylen Ayub and Petkova combined for five block assists.
• Lindsay Oldendorf put together another stellar performance, recording seven kills and a team-leading .583 hitting percentage at the middle blocker position. 

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of today's match, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with head coach Diogo Silva, please click here.
• To view the gull postgame interview with Hayden Goodman and Abby Wadas, please click here. 

UP NEXT:
San Francisco returns to action at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 15, when it takes on UT-Rio Grande Valley in the USF Challenge at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center.
 
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today! Click here to purchase.
 
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor – Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.
 
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.