Sept. 12, 2006

Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Junior outside hitter Kristin Hasselberg hammered out 15 kills and hit .520 to lead San Francisco to a 30-26, 30-20, 30-18 sweep of UC Davis in a non-conference women's collegiate volleyball match at War Memorial Gym Tuesday in front of 236.

The Aggies fall to 1-7 for the year. The Dons, among the teams receiving votes in this week's CSTV/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Top 25, capture their seventh straight win and improve to 9-1.

Senior Nicole Read recorded a double-double for UC Davis, knocking down a team-best 18 kills and adding 10 digs defensively. With 44 of her team's 119 swings, Read shouldered the bulk of the Aggies' offensive load on the left side of the net as sophomore Chantal Paschetta was sidelined with an injury. Paschetta is expected to return to action this weekend at Fresno State. Freshman libero Avreeta Singh posted 17 digs to lead both teams, extending her top ranking among the D-I independent leaders.

Middle blockers Alix Gombos and Anna Berger each added 11 digs for USF, while a third middle, Carly Babin, had seven kills and seven total blocks. The Dons hit better than .400 in each of the final two games of their sweep.

UC Davis recovered from an early 8-3 deficit in Game 1 to tie the score at 11-11, but suffered from a stretch of erratic hitting that allowed USF to reclaim a 17-11 lead. Freshman Britt Erickson and sophomore Kelly Patterson combined on a block against Gombos to put the Aggies within two at 27-25, and a Don service error later matched that deficit at 28-25. However, USF recovered to score two straight points to claim the first game.

Strong hitting allowed the Dons to pull away in each of the second and third games. After Aggie sophomore Michelle Nelson served up an ace to put her team within a 21-16 deficit, Hasselberg recorded a pair of digs and a block to lead her team down the stretch. In Game 3, Berger had three kills during a 6-0 run that helped USF storm out to a 19-9 lead. The Dons maintained that heady advantage for the remainder of the match, compiling 19 kills against just three errors in the deciding game.

UC Davis returns to action on Friday, taking on defending NCAA champion Washington in a neutral-site match at Fresno State.

UC DAVIS (kills-aces-blocks) - Katelyn Astruc 2-0-0, Kelly Patterson 3-0-5, Britt Erickson 3-0-3, Jenny Pierce 0-0-0, Rachel Keener 5-0-1, Nicole Read 18-1-1, Michelle Nelson 0-1-0, Jenny Kennedy 0-0-0, Avreeta Singh 0-0-0, Carson Lowden 0-0-0, Tori Hooper 2-0-0, Renee Ibekwe 3-0-0, Katie Wilson 1-0-0. Totals 37-2-5.0. Assists - Katelyn Astruc 32. Digs leader - Avreeta Singh 17.

USF (kills-aces-blocks) - Brynn Maurer 3-1-2, Darcy Carroll 4-1-0, Alix Gombos 11-0-3, Anna Berger 11-1-1, Kristin Hasselberg 15-1-3, Linzy Kearney 1-0-1, Tiffany Woo 0-1-0, Haley Carroll 0-0-0, Carly Babin 7-0-7, Jamie Kartchner 0-1-0, Susan Bednarova 4-0-2, Katherine Hart 2-0-1, Audrey Barron 0-0-0. Totals 58-6-11.0. Assists - Darcy Carroll 25, Jamie Kartchner 20. Digs leaders - Haley Carroll 12, Brynn Maurer 12.

-mh-