With USF fighting off multiple match points in the third and fourth sets, Santa Clara fell 3-2 to San Francisco on Thursday night in the Leavey Center. Set scores were 25-20, 25-17, 25-27, 26-28 and 8-15. Santa Clara is 6-6 and 1-2 in the WCC. USF is 6-7 and 2-1 in the WCC. In its next timeout, Santa Clara hosts Portland Thurs., Oct. 3 at 7 pm and Sat., Oct. 5 at 1 pm Gonzaga comes to town.
Santa Clara hit .143 with 63 kills (38 e, 175 att.). The Broncos collected 58 assists, 66 digs, 11 service aces, 17 service errors and eight team blocks. USF hit .167 with 46 kills (23 e, 138 att.). The Dons collected 41 assists, 56 digs, five service aces, 10 service errors and 13 team blocks.
Santa Clara was led by four hitter with double-digit kills. Taylor Milton led the Broncos with 16 kills. Nikki Hess, Haley Cameron and Sabrina Clayton all had 11 kills. Alyssa Anderson scored 48 assists, five kills, five service aces and 17 digs. Hess also had 15 digs.
USF was led by Katarina Pilepic's 14 kills. Valentina Zaloznik had 12 kills, two block solos and seven block assists. Mackenzie Murtagh scored 26 assists. Ester de Vries had 15 digs.
Anderson's second serve was an ace in the first set and the Broncos jumped out to a 4-1 lead on an ace by Clayton. The Broncos went ahead 8-4 on a kill to the back row again by Milton. A team block by Cameron and Anderson put SCU up 10-5. Cameron's tip gave the Broncos the ball, 11-6 SCU. After de Vries smacked it way out for the second time, USF called for time, down 12-6.
The Dons scored four of the next six, 14-10 SCU. Milton's kill off the single block and Cameron's kill in the middle put SCU up 16-10. Milton's kill of the Dons overpass made it 17-10. Trading points, Milton's kill off Pilipec's arms made it 19-12 SCU. A Milton kill in the middle caused USF to call for its second timeout, with SCU up 21-14. USF laced together three points and Wallace called for time, up 21-17. The teams traded points twice, 23-20 Broncos. An error by Pilepic gave SCU set point. A Dons hitting error gave SCU the game, 25-20. SCU hit .235 with 13 kills (5 e, 34 att.). USF hit -.036 with six kills (7 e, 28 att.).
Anderson's back-to-back aces in the second set put SCU up 3-2. Kills by Milton and Clayton and an error by Segota and another kill by Milton put SCU up 7-2. Timeout USF. Anderson's ace shot off the arms of Segota again, 8-2 Broncos. A kill by Hess gave SCU the sideout, 12-5 SCU. USF scored four of the next five before Milton's cross court kill to the back row gave SCU the ball up 14-9. USF scored a couple on SCU errors before Clayton crushed the ball down the line, 15-11 SCU. Clayton smacked it off the block and USF called for its second timeout of the set with SCU up 18-12.
Two USF errors out of the timeout pushed it to 20-12 Broncos. USF scored three times on two kills and a team block, 20-15 SCU. USF scored on a Clayton hitting error out of the timeout, but the Dons next serve went wide, 21-16 Broncos. Cameron and Milton teamed up for a block, 23-17 Broncos. An error by Pilepic gave SCU set point and a kill by Hess on the overpass gave SCU set two 25-17. SCU hit .229 with 15 kills (7 e, 35 att.). USF hit .067 with 8 kills (6 e, 30 att.).
A kill by Anders in the back of the court gave SCU the ball, down 2-1 in the third set. An error by USF and a kill by Hess made it 3-2 SCU. SCU scored three of the next four, including a kill by Milton and a team block by Cameron and Milton. An error by the Dons and a kill by Cameron off Kiara McKibben's head made it 8-3 SCU. Cameron crushed it in the middle for a sideout, 9-4 SCU. USF scored two of the next three on Bronco errors, 10-6 SCU. USF added five more after a Bronco sideout, including an ace, 11-10 SCU. Clayton stopped the rally on a kill off the double-blockers. But Milton's ball went way out to give it right back to USF, 12-11 SCU. Anders kill to the right side was followed by a Clayton service error, 13-12 SCU. Hess smacked it to the wide-open hole in the hardwood for a sideout. The Broncos collected two more before USF halted play with a timeout, 16-12 SCU. USF scored five of the next nine to pull within three, 20-17 SCU. Timeout Broncos.
Trading points, Cameron's kill off a Dons arms gave SCU the ball, 21-18 Broncos. Shepherd's back-to-back aces were smashed between a USF timeout, 23-18 SCU. USF scored a couple but Anders crushed it for a sideout, giving SCU match point. A kill by Zaloznik and an ace by Reed had Wallace up calling for time, up 24-22. After SCU was called in the net, a block solo by Zaloznik tied it up 24-24. A kill by Clayton quieted the rally. Pilepic tied it up 25-25 on a cross court kill. A kill by Segota gave USF set point. Anders smacked it way out to give USF the set, 27-25. SCU hit .200 with 16 kills (9 e, 35 att.). USF hit .192 with 10 kills (5 e, 26 att.).
USF came out swinging in the four set, taking a 3-1 lead. Trading sideouts, USF jumped ahead 4-2. Cannon's kill down the middle gave SCU a sideout. Katy Schatzman's ace tied it up 4-4. Cameron crushed it on the overpass. Milton's kill cross court tied it back up 6-6. Two Bronco errors put USF up 8-6. The teams traded sideouts, 9-7 USF. A team block by Maddie Cannon and Milton tied it up 10-10. Cannon's kill off the double block gave SCU its first lead of the set, 11-10. USF scored a couple but Milton's kill off cross court tied it up 12-12. A Zaloznik ace put USF up two. A team block by Cannon and Hess gave SCU a sideout, but USF scored on a kill to the back-row, 15-13 USF.
Milton's kill again stopped the run. An ace by Hess tied it up 16-16. USF scored a couple, including a team block by Zaloznik and Reed. After USF went up 19-16, SCU called for time. Cameron's scored a kill off of the team block, sideout Broncos. Anderson's dump and her own ace momentarily halted USF. USF called for time, up 20-19. USF collected a sideout on a kill, but served it into the net next, 21-20 USF. Clayton served it wide, sideout USF, 22-20 USF. Anderson scored a kill on a pass over the net. Pilipec's kill down the line gave USF the ball, 23-20 USF. Cameron's kill in the back row put Milton on the line to serve, down 23-22. Rottman subbed back in to serve. Segota smacked it out to tie it up 23-23. Hess got way up and crushed it cross court, match point Broncos. Murtagh dumped the ball to tie it up 24-24. A service error by Segota gave SCU another match point, 25-24 SCU. Reed tied it up 25-25 on a kill off the block. Clayton's kill in the back row gave SCU match point again, 26-25. A kill by Zaloznik gave USF a sideout, 26-26. Clayton was called in the net to give USF set point, 27-26. Timeout SCU. Clayton's error proved to be set point for the Dons, 28-26 Dons. SCU hit .047 with 12 kills (10 e, 43 att.). USF hit .278 with 15 kills (5 e, 36 att.).
USF scored four times to start the final set. Timeout SCU. A kill by Anders over the block stopped the Dons rally. USF scored twice to push ahead 6-1. Milton's kill stopped the rally. Two Bronco errors put USF up 8-2. The teams traded points, 9-3 USF. Milton and Hess laced together a couple of kills, 9-5 USF. The Broncos were whistled in the net twice, timeout SCU. The Broncos scored twice, including a thundering kill in the middle by Cameron. A Bronco service error gave USF the ball up 12-7. After a USF service error, a block solo gave the ball back to the Dons. The Dons won the match on a kill by Pilepic. SCU hit .000 with 7 kills (7 e, 28 att.). USF hit .389 with 7 kills (0 e, 18 att.).
