PORTLAND, Ore. – The University of San Francisco volleyball team opens the 2024 campaign on the road when it travels to compete in the Rose City Showdown on Friday, Aug. 30 and Saturday, Aug. 31 at Viking Pavilion.
 
San Francisco begins the tournament against host Portland State at 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by two matches against California and Nevada at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
 
MATCH 1 INFORMATION:
Date: Friday, Aug. 30, 2024
Time: 6 p.m.
Opponent: Portland State
Location: Portland, Ore. / Viking Pavilion
Watch: ESPN+
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast
 
MATCH 2 INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Opponent: California
Location: Portland, Ore. / Viking Pavilion
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast
 
MATCH 3 INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Opponent: Nevada
Location: Portland, Ore. / Viking Pavilion
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• San Francisco enters the 2024 campaign following a tie for sixth place West Coast Conference finish in 2023. Heading into the season opener, the Dons return nine letter winners from a season ago while welcoming newcomers Amelia Dombrowska, Shannon Knight, Shannon Sheehy, Anica Bobic, Jamie Low, Michalina Rola, Jolei Akima, and Delaney Ewing.
• Maria Petkova, the program's offensive leader, led the team and ranked tied for 10th in the WCC with 241 kills, averaging a team-best 2.62 per set. In 2023, Petkova posted double-digit kills in a match nine times while recording a career-high 22 against New Mexico.
• Aylen Ayub led the team in assists, totaling a career-best 743 to rank fifth in the WCC. Ayub also posted 71 kills on 140 attempts for a team-high .457 hitting percentage.
• Defensively, San Francisco ranked third in the league in total blocks, accumulating 213.5 in 28 matches. Hayden Goodman posted 99 blocks to pace the Dons throughout the season and averaged 0.92 per set to rank seventh in the WCC. 

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS:

• Registering its third straight winning season, Portland enters 2024 after posting a 16-12 overall record last season. In an impressive non-conference schedule, the Vikings posted three wins over high-end programs, including a season sweep over Oregon State.
• The Vikings earned nine victories against Big Sky Conference opponents to finish fifth in the league standings, ultimately falling in the first round in the conference tournament to Weber State, 3-0.
• Delaney Nicoll enters the season for the Vikings as the leading offensive returner from a season ago, totaling 118 kills and a .201 hitting percentage. In 63 sets played, she posted double-digit kills three times, highlighted by a season-high at Montana State.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS:

• California is coming off its most wins in a season since 2019 after going 16-15 in 2023. The Golden Bears kicked off last season with 11 straight victories, going undefeated in non-conference play, before losing 15 of their 20 Pac-12 Conference to finish 11th in the standings.
• Maggie Li returns for her sophomore season, as she led the team offensively with 441 kills a season ago. Appearing in all 31 matches, Li posted 26 double-digit kill performances, including surpassing 20+ kills times. Her career-high 24 kills at Texas Tech helped guide the Golden Bears to a four-set victory over the Red Raiders.
• Defensively, California posted 232.0 total blocks, led by Mikayla Hayden, who totaled 91.0. Annalea Maeder ranked second on the team in digs, accumulating 286 in 2023.

SCOUTING THE WOLF PACK:

• Totaling seven overall wins in 2023, Nevada finished in 11th place in the Mountain West Conference standings. The Wolf Pack concluded the season on a six-match losing streak, falling to San Diego State, UNLV, Air Force, New Mexico, Boise State, and Utah State.
• Shannon Hunt was named the 12th head coach in program history heading into the 2024 season. Hunt joins the program after spending 12 seasons on the volleyball staff at Washington State serving as an assistant coach.
• Last season, the Wolf Pack had three players record 200 or more kills, led by Sia Liilii, who posted a team-best 308 in 29 matches.

SERIES HISTORY:

• San Francisco and Portland have faced off three times since the 2003 season, with the Dons holding a 2-1 advantage. The last time the two programs competed was in 2006, when the Vikings secured a five-set victory over the Dons in a neutral-site contest in Stockton, Calif.
• Since 2002, California holds a 4-2 advantage over San Francisco, with victories coming in the 2002, 2008, 2009, and 2010 seasons. The Dons, however, are on a two-match winning streak over the Golden Bears, with two wins coming in 2012.
• In the last six meetings, San Francisco and Nevada have three wins apiece since the 2004 season. The Wolf Pack have had the upper hand in recent history, winning three straight contests with the last coming in a 3-0 win over the Dons in 2021.

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.

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 - Nike - 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.