Oct. 23, 2004
(Moraga, CA) - USF volleyball traveled to Saint Mary's to take on their third straight top-25 opponent in West Coast Conference action Saturday night at McKeon Pavilion, falling in three 30-24, 30-24, 30-27. The Dons (9-14, 2-5 WCC) battled hard, but could not get over the hump against the Gaels (16-2, 6-1 WCC) who snapped a two match losing streak against their Bay Area rivals.
Freshman outside hitter Kristin Hasselberg tallied a team-high 14 kills, while senior outside hitter Stephanie Voelckers added a double-double with a 12 -kill, 12-dig night. Freshman libero Brynn Maurer recorded a team-high 13 digs, while sophomore setter Jamie Kartchner dished out 39 assists for the Dons who hit at a respectable .232 for the match.
USF led early in game one, jumping out to a 12-7 lead, before the Gaels went on a 5-0 run to tie the contest at 12-12. The Dons battled and held onto a slight edge before the Saint Mary's tied the contest at 21-21 and then exploded for a 9-3 run to capture the opening set. Hasselberg recorded four kills in game one for USF, who hit at a .242 clip.
Game two was eerily similar to the first as San Francisco opened up early leads, only to be reeled back in by the Gaels. Saint Mary's broke open a 18-18 game and went on a 12-6 run to take a 2-0 lead heading into the intermission. Voelckers tallied five kills to lead the way for the Dons in the second game. The Gaels made things interesting with seven service errors.
Game three was a carbon copy of the two that preceded it and the Dons even led early 12-7. The Gaels recovered and although the Dons made it close at the end, Saint Mary's was able to complete the sweep.
Saint Mary's hit at a .326 clip for the contest with 60 kills and just 14 errors on 141 swings. Four Gaels recorded double-digits in kills, led by junior outside hitter Kaui Salzman with 18 on .318 hitting.
USF returns to WCC lay when they travel to Southern California for a pair. The Dons take on Loyola Marymount Friday, October 29 in a 7:00 PM match at Gersten Pavilion.
