Portland - The University of Portland women's volleyball team defeated the San Francisco Lady Dons, 3-1 (30-26, 24-30, 30-23, 30-22) on Fri., Oct. 11 at the Chiles Center in Portland, OR. Portland improves to 12-6 overall, 1-2 in the WCC. San Francisco drops to 4-15 overall, 0-3 in WCC play.

On the night, freshman Sara Vercruyssen racked up a career-high 21 kills for a .245 hitting percentage and seven digs. Lauren Karpstein tallied 14 kills and hit for .290, along with 11 digs and a career-high four block assists. Junior Heather Denison notched 10 kills for a .226 hitting percentage and six total blocks. Sheena Surplus posted 46 assists and 16 digs, while Carlie Price added 16 digs. As a team Portland posted a .212 hitting percentage and 14.0 total team blocks.

San Francisco’s Brittanie Budinger tallied 20 kills and 16 digs. Teammate Ashley Bello and Liz Macausland combined for 21 kills, while Caroline Skacel and Francesca Pomilia each totaled 12 digs in the match. Setter Kristina Bognar posted 44 assists and 10 digs. The Lady Dons hit for .139 and added 9.0 total team blocks in the match.

“I think tonight’s match was a tribute to how good the WCC is, when you have a team that is 4-15 overall come in here and play as tough as they did,” said Head Coach Doug Sparks. “Our kids continued to step up to the challenge and play well. Overall it was a total team effort and I am happy with the win.”

UP NEXT: On Sat., Oct. 12, Portland takes on the Santa Clara Broncos at 7:00 p.m. in Portland, OR. UP hits the road on Fri., Oct. 18, meeting San Diego at 7:00 p.m. in San Diego, CA. On Sat., Oct. 19, Portland travels to Moraga, CA, facing Saint Mary’s College at 7:00 p.m. The Pilots face Gonzaga on Sat., Oct. 26 at 7:00 p.m. in Spokane, WA. On Fri., Nov. 1, Portland is back at home matching-up with Pepperdine at 7:00 p.m. in the Chiles Center. The Pilots take on Loyola Marymount on Sat., Nov. 2 in Portland, OR at 7:00 p.m. Portland hits the road on Fri., Nov. 8, facing Santa Clara at 7:00 p.m. in Santa, Clara, CA. On Sat., Nov. 9, the Pilots will match-up with San Francisco at 7:00 p.m. in San Francisco, CA. Portland will host Saint Mary’s College on Fri., Sept. 15 and San Diego on Sat., Sept. 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Chiles Center in Portland, OR. The Pilots wrap-up WCC play at home on Sat., Nov. 23 with a single-match vs. Gonzaga at 7:00 p.m. On Tues., Nov. 26, Portland hosts in-state rival Oregon State at 5:00 p.m. in the Chiles Center.