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USF Volleyball Battles, But Falls to Pepperdine 3-1
Nov. 11, 2006
(San Francisco) - USF volleyball slowed but could not stop Pepperdine, dropping a 3-1 (30-27, 23-30, 30-20, 30-20) West Coast Conference decision Saturday afternoon at War Memorial Gym on Senior Day. The Dons (21-8, 5-7 WCC) hit an impressive .279 for the match, but the Waves (14-10, 10-3 WCC) were even better at .372.
Sophomore middle blocker Alix Gombos turned in one of the top performances in her young career, recording a career-high 16 kills on .500 hitting to go along with three blocks. Gombos committed just a pair of errors on 28 swings. Junior outside hitter Kristin Hasselberg recorded a team-high 18 kills with seven digs and three blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Carly Babin added seven kills and a match-high six blocks, while junior outside hitter Brynn Maurer added seven kills and eight digs for the Dons.
Senior setter Jamie Kartchner competed in her final home match in the Green and Gold and turned in a strong performance, dishing out 24 assists to go along with six digs. Sophomore setter Darcy Carroll added 25 assists , four kills and four digs, while junior opposite Linzy Kearney added five blocks and a pair of kills for USF, which held a 9.5-8.0 advantage at the net.
Trailing 1-0 in the match, the Dons turned in one of the best games in school history in the second frame. San Francisco led wire-to-wire, attacking at a remarkable .654 clip with no errors and 17 kills on 26 attempts. After the intermission, the Waves heated up and hit better than .400 in the final two games to seal the victory.
Sophomore outside hitter Julie Rubenstein led three Waves in double-digit kills with 19 kills on .441 hitting, while freshman outside hitter Rachel Lumsden added 17. Senior middle blocker Sophia Milo tallied 15 kills and five blocks for Pepperdine.
USF closes out the 2006 WCC season in the Pacific Northwest, starting Thursday, November 16 at Portland. First serve against the Pilots is set for 7:00 PM in the Chiles Center.
