SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Following its first opening weekend of the 2024 season, the University of San Francisco volleyball team (1-2) travels to take on New Mexico State (1-1) at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, CSUN (1-2) at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6, and Sacramento State (0-2) at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7 in the Sacramento State Invitational at the Nest.
 
MATCH 4 INFORMATION:
Date: Thursday, Sept. 4, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Opponent: New Mexico State
Location: Sacramento, Calif. / The Nest
Watch: ESPN+
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast
 
MATCH 5 INFORMATION:
Date: Friday, Sept. 5, 2024
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Opponent: CSUN
Location: Sacramento, Calif. / The Nest
Watch: ESPN+
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast
 
MATCH 6 INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Sept. 6, 2024
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Opponent: Sacramento State
Location: Sacramento, Calif. / The Nest
Watch: ESPN+
Live Statistics: StatBroadcast
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• San Francisco began the season last weekend on the road when it competed in the Rose City Showdown at Portland State, sweeping the Vikings 3-0 in the season opener last Friday.
• Astrid Puig led the Dons offensively throughout the tournament, as she was named to the Rose City Showdown All-Tournament Team. Puig finished the weekend with 48 kills, including a career-high 24 against California, and totaled a stellar .324 hitting percentage.
• In her first action with the green and gold, Michalina Rola posted 44 kills, highlighted by a 19-kill performance against Nevada. Her .370 hitting percentage in the tournament's final match also marked the eighth time she has surpassed double-digit kills with a .300 hitting percentage or better in a match in her career.
• Defensively, the program posted 32 blocks throughout the three matches, ranking first in the West Coast Conference following the season's opening weekend. Hayden Goodman leads the team and ranks tied for first in the WCC in total blocks with 15. The senior middle blocker from Park City, Utah, nearly broke her career-best in blocks as she recorded seven against California.
• San Francisco recorded 176 digs throughout the weekend, with Jolei Akima leading the team with 40. Akima posted double-digit digs in all three matches, including totaling 15 against Nevada on Saturday. 

SCOUTING THE AGGIES:

• New Mexico State began the season on the road when it competed in the Georgia Tech Invitational last weekend. The program split its opening two matches, defeating Coastal Carolina 3-1 on Friday, Aug. 30 before falling to No. 14 Georgia Tech, 3-1, on Sunday, Sept. 1.
• In the win over the Chanticleers, Starr Williams led the Aggies offensively, posting 14 kills with a .560 hitting percentage. Williams also added 16 kills in the loss to the Yellow Jackets, finishing the tournament with a team-high 30.
• Following her successful weekend, Williams was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week.
• Nicole Briggs and Darian Markham guided the Aggies on the defensive side, with Briggs totaling six blocks and Marham leading the team in digs with 28. 

SCOUTING THE MATADORS:

• Kicking off the season at the Idaho State Invitational, CSUN dropped two of its three matches, falling to Seattle U and Idaho State. The Matadors' lone win came in a five-set bout with San Diego State, defeating the Aztecs, 3-2.
• Amaris Smith shined throughout the tournament, accumulating 74 kills, including surpassing the 20-kill threshold twice. In the win over the Aztecs, Smith posted a career-best 29 kills while recording a .439 hitting percentage. Smith followed with a double-double against Idaho State, recording 26 kills and 10 digs in the 3-1 loss to the Bengals.
• Appearing in her first-ever collegiate volleyball tournament, Paige Sentes was named Big West Freshman of the Week after leading the back line with 55 digs, 3.93 digs per set ratio, and a 97.2 reception percentage. The true freshman from Bakersfield, Calif., ranks third in the Big West in digs and fourth in digs per set. 

SCOUTING THE HORNETS:

• Sacramento State went winless at the Cal Poly Invitational, falling to Cal Poly and No. 19 Arkansas last weekend in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
• The Hornets won one set throughout the two matches, earning a third-set victory in the 3-1 loss to the Mustangs on Friday, Aug. 30.
• Bridgette Smith led the team with 36 kills while Caitlin Volkmann and Ellie Tisko each posted 21 to help guide the Hornets. In the loss at Cal Poly, Smith nearly broke her career-best in kills as she posted 23, one short of her current best of 24 set at Northern Arizona during the 2022 season.

SERIES HISTORY:

• San Francisco and New Mexico State face off for just the second time in program history as the Aggies hold a 1-0 advantage over the Dons. The last time the two teams competed was in 2023 at the Borderland Invitational with the Aggies earning a 3-2 victory over the Dons.
• In seven meetings since the 2002 season, San Francisco holds a convincing 5-2 edge over CSUN. The Dons and Matadors faced off last season at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center when the green and gold earned a five-set victory to win the USF Challenge title.
• Since the 2002 season, Sacramento State has won six of the 10 matchups against San Francisco. The Hornets are currently on a two-match winning streak as the program last defeated the Dons in 2021 in a five-set affair at The Nest.

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:
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SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - ABM - 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.