Nov. 22, 2005
Box Score
DAVIS, Calif. - Sophomore outside hitter Kristin Hasselberg recorded 24 kills and 25 digs to help San Francisco come back from a two-game deficit en route to a 26-30, 26-30, 30-12, 30-24, 15-9 win over UC Davis in non-conference women's collegiate volleyball action at the Pavilion Tuesday night.
The Aggies finish their 2005 season at 4-27. The Dons end the year at 18-13.
Freshman libero Nichole Brown posted a career-high 36 digs to tie Mary McClelland's year-old school match record. She also lifted her season total to 526, shattering Candy Lench's Aggie season record of 493. Junior middle blocker Jenny Pierce led UC Davis offensively with 11 kills and a .286 hitting average.
Senior middle KeLicia Shorts contributed 12 kills and assisted on five of the Dons' 11 team blocks. Alix Gombos came off the bench to chip in eight kills and five blocks, including a pair of solos. Senior opposite Jencie LeJeune also sparked USF offensively and defensively, providing 11 kills and six block assists.
UC Davis dominated Game 1, riding out a 12-4 start and getting four kills from junior outside hitter Rachel Keener. However, the Aggies had to scramble back from an early deficit to take Game 2. USF enjoyed an early 6-0 to storm out to a 17-8 lead in the second frame. UC Davis whittled away, eventually tying the game at 22-22 on a block by Keener and junior Katie Wilson. Keener's serving eventually provided the Aggies with their first lead, then opposite Jill McPheeters fired a shot through the Dons block for a two-point lead.
Brown had 10 digs in the second game alone, including three in a long, scrambling rally that set up a 29-26 game point. Junior Nicole Read then finished off the game with a service ace.
The Dons took control of the match momentum in Game 3, pounding out 16 errorless kills on 37 attempts for a .432 average. Hasselberg tallied nine digs and 5-0-7 hitting during the game, which featured a 13-2 run through the middle stretch. Her offense also sparked USF in Game 4, as her back-to-back kills helped her team pull away to a 14-8 advantage. UC Davis managed to scrape back to a 17-17 tie, but Shorts had a block and a kill to push the Dons back out to a 20-17 edge. USF protected its lead the rest of the way to force the fifth game.
Again, it was Hasselberg lifting USF in Game 5. She had three kills in as many swings at the midpoint changeover. LeJeune and freshman Susan Bednarova put down two shots in a 4-0 run that allowed USF to pull ahead by 12-7. Bednarova later set up match point with a kill at 14-8, then Wilson stuffed a shot by Shorts to hold off the Dons for one more point. Finally, Bednarova found a seam for the game- and match-winning side out.
Tuesday's match also featured a farewell presentation for lone Aggie senior Jill McPheeters, who played in her final match. Her parents, Ed and Lori, were included in the presentation. The McPheeters family had attended every home and road match the Aggies played for all four years of her career.
