Nov. 4, 2000

Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. - Gonzaga senior Heather Osberg tallied 21 kills in her final home appearance Saturday night but it was not enough as Saint Mary's College sent the Zags to their 16th consecutive loss. The Gaels won the West Coast Conference volleyball match in four games with scores of 14-16, 15-4, 17-15, and 15-7.

Gonzaga and Saint Mary's seemed to connect on every attacking attempt in the opening game as Gonzaga hit .328 (29 kills in 61 attempts) and Saint Mary's hit .292 (27 kills in 65 attempts). Momentum in the game swung back-and-forth as both teams struggled to score points early. Saint Mary's finally gained the upper hand pulling out to a 14-8 lead on four kills by Meghan Coolbaugh. Gonzaga then closed the gap with the serving of Heather Signor as the Gaels had two attack errors and allowed Gonzaga to close to 14-11. After tying the game on a kill by Britt Whiting, Whiting drove home the final point to give the Zags the first game.

Saint Mary's came out firing in the second game as the Gaels again jumped out to a big lead. Meg Hauser and Suzanne Sarkees served the Gaels out to a 13-2 lead as Whitney Hoover compiled five kills for Saint Mary's points. The Zags comeback attempt in the second game was hammered down by Heather Dill who garnered kills on two of Saint Mary's final four points.

The third game turned into the marathon of the evening as the teams continued to trade side outs with neither team able to move out to more than a two point cushion. The Gaels gained the advantage as Gonzaga committed six attack errors down the stretch allowing Saint Mary's to hold on for the two point win. The Zags had actually taken a 15-14 advantage before Meghan Coolbaugh served the Gaels into the win column.

Gonzaga seemed determined to push the match to a game five as they opened the fourth game. The Zags jumped out to a 4-1 lead before the wheels fell off. Saint Mary's ran off 9 of the next 10 points to help themselves to a 10-5 lead. Gonzaga's Achilles heel once again came back to haunt the Zags as they had four attack errors on the final four Saint Mary's points to hand the Gaels the victory.

Gonzaga was led by senior Heather Osberg with a team-high 21 kills. The Zags dropped to 4-21 on the season and 0-11 in the WCC as they dropped their 16th straight contest. It also marked the first time in Gonzaga history that a Zags team has not won a conference match at home.

Saint Mary's improved to 11-12 and 7-4 in the WCC. Meghan Coolbaugh led all players with 25 kills while Meg Hauser had a match-high 23 digs.