VOL. 119, Issue 3 - Sept. 23, 2021

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THURSDAY
SEPT. 23,
2021
DONS CRANK UP THE HEAT DOWN SOUTH
DONS WEEKLY ROUNDUP
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SPORTS
JAMES SALAZAR
Staff Writer
USF women’s volleyball sought to end a seven-game losing streak
while the USF men’s and women’s tennis teams hosted twenty-three Division
I schools in their annual Battle in the Bay Classic. Here is your recap
of the week in Dons’ sports.
USF women’s volleyball welcomed the University of California, San
Diego (UCSD) Tritons to the Hilltop Sept. 17. Though the team battled
until the very end, the Dons fell to the Tritons by a score of 2-3.
The Tritons took control of the first set, but a kill from right side
Taylor Schein brought the Dons within four points (11-15). UCSD responded
with a 10-3 run, and the Dons dropped the first set by a score
of 14-25. Both sides traded points in the second set, but USF was on the
wrong end of another run that had the team staring at an 8-16 deficit. The
Tritons gradually secured another victory (19-25), and the Dons were on
the verge of being swept by their opponents.
Feeling the pressure, the Dons recorded five unanswered points in the
third set, including an ace by outside hitter Lana Kutakhina. In the closing
moments of the third set, Schein delivered yet another kill to finally put
the Dons on the board (25-12) and keep the team from being swept. Midway
through the fourth set, USF went on a 6-2 run that helped them win
the set (25-20) and tie the game at two sets each. Unfortunately for the
Dons, the Tritons found their offensive groove in the last set and downed
the Dons by a score of 8-15, putting a stop to USF’s momentum.
Looking ahead, the Dons will begin West Coast Conference play Sept.
23 when they host the Pepperdine University Waves.
USF men’s and women’s tennis hosted and competed in the Battle
in the Bay Classic Sept. 16-19. In the men’s singles main draw, Mitch
Johnson was eliminated in the round of 32 by Timothy Sah of the Stanford
University Cardinal. Phuc Huynh also made his exit in the round of
32 when he was defeated by Andrew Rogers of the Pepperdine University
Waves (5-7, 2-6).
In the men’s doubles main draw, Huynh and Nil Giraldez were eliminated
in the round of 16 by the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs,
losing to the tune of 2-8. Johnson and sophomore Stevie Gould were also
sent packing in the round of 16, losing to the University of California,
Berkeley Golden Bears (1-8).
In the women’s singles main draw, Chiho Mushika was eliminated in
the round of 32 after she lost to Maria Campos of the University of Colorado
Boulder Buffaloes (3-6, 1-6). Maria Martinez Vaquero advanced to
the round of 16 with a straight set victory over Roxana Manu of the University
of Kansas Jayhawks (6-1, 7-5). Rita Colyer also punched her ticket
to the round of 16 with an epic three-set victory against Isabelle Lee of
the University of Southern California Trojans (6-3, 4-6, 10-5). Martinez
Vaquero lost in the round of 16 to Abigail Desiatnikov of the University of
San Diego Toreros (2-6, 3-6), Colyer was also eliminated in the round of
16 after a straight-set defeat at the hands of the Toreros’ Victoria Kalaitzis
(2-6, 0-6).
In the women’s doubles main draw, Mushika and Martinez Vaquero
made it through the round of 16, beating the University of the Pacific
Tigers (8-7), while Colyer and Arianna Capogrosso routed the Trojans
(8-4). Mushika and Martinez were quickly eliminated by the University of
Georgia Bulldogs (0-8), and Colyer and Capogrosso also exited the quarterfinals
after being beaten by the Waves (2-8).
SPORTS
The Dons made their way down to Dallas and Waco, Texas to match up against the Southern Methodist University Mustangs and Baylor University Bears. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS M.
LEUNG/DONS ATHLETICS
MAGGIE ALDRICH
Staff Writer
While San Francisco is seeing warmer
weather due to change in season, the city’s
temperatures came nowhere near the heat the
women’s soccer team faced on their two-game
Texas road trip. The Dons first travelled to
Dallas to play the nationally-ranked No.
24 Southern Methodist University (SMU)
Mustangs Sept. 16.
The Mustangs carried the advantage in this
first-ever match up due to a free kick around
midfield within the first 20 minutes of the game
courtesy of sophomore Jasmine Vilgrain, which
put SMU on the board first. The Dons brought
the tempo up in the second half, where they had
ten shot attempts in comparison to their lone
attempt at scoring in the first half. Despite the
work put in by the Dons, the Mustangs came
out victorious by a score of 0-1, with their five
saves leaving the scoreline stagnant throughout
the remainder of the match.
Three days after acquainting themselves
with SMU, the Dons made their way out of
Dallas and into Betty Lou Mays Field in Waco,
Texas to test their fate Sept. 19 against the
Baylor University Bears.
Despite six attempted shots from the Bears
in the first half, the opposition was unable to
break through the Dons’ defense. USF took the
lead when sophomore Jamesen Ward assisted a
clean shot by senior Sydney Cooper. Within the
first four minutes of the second half, the Bears
connected with the back of the net and tied the
game at one goal each.
With a high game-time temperature of
almost 100 degrees, the tied game came to a close
due to a heat advisory. Regardless, the 1-1 score
will count towards both team’s overall win-loss
records since they fell within the 70 minute time
mark.
The Dons return home to Negoesco Stadium
Sept. 25 to face the Santa Clara University
Broncos.
Senior Caragh Courtney prepares to return a shot during the Battle in the Bay Classic. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS M. LEUNG/DONS ATHLETICS