Nov. 13, 2001
SPOKANE, Wash. -
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GONZAGA (8-17, 4-9 WCC) - WEEK AHEAD
PORTLAND PILOTS (6-18, 2-11 WCC)
Nov. 17 - 7 p.m. - Spokane, WA
ZAGS DROP FINAL PAIR ON THE ROAD: Gonzaga dropped its final pair of West Coast Conference road matches over the weekend to finish 2-5 on the road in conference play. The Zags lost on Friday night to San Diego as the Toreros hit .318 in a three game win. Christina Davis led the Zags with nine kills while Heather Signor had a stand out performance on defense. The sophomore collected a match-high 18 digs which ties for 10th on the single match record book list. On Saturday night Saint Mary's collected revenge for an earlier season loss in Spokane. The Gaels knocked off GU in three games despite a match-high 12 kills by Christina Davis. Abby Cullen also had a strong game with 11 kills in the loss.
PORTLAND PILOTS: Gonzaga and Portland face off for the 33rd time when the two schools meet on Saturday night to conclude Gonzaga's 2001 season. Earlier this year Gonzaga won a four-game match at Portland to extend its series lead to 24-8. The Pilots have lost three matches in a row entering the contest with a 6-18 overall record and 2-11 WCC mark. Bridget Dechant is the top Pilots attacker with just over 3 kills per game. Sara Engstrom is Portland's top server with 0.31 service aces per game. Doug Sparks is wrapping up his second season as head coach at Portland.
PORTLAND SERIES RECORDS:
SERIES SINCE 1987: GON 24-8
SERIES AT GONZAGA: GON 12-3
SERIES AT PORTLAND: GON 12-5
CURRENT STREAK: GON WON LAST 2
5-game matches: TIED 2-2
4-game matches: GON 12-3
3-game matches: GON 10-3
WINDLIN-JANSEN ENTERS SIXTH SEASON: Head coach Eva Windlin-Jansen enters her sixth season guiding the Gonzaga volleyball program. An assistant coach during the 1996 season, Windlin-Jansen was named interim head coach with eight matches remaining in the season. The Bulldogs finished 5-3 and Windlin-Jansen was named head coach following the season. The 1989 University of Oregon graduate has compiled a 41-113 record during her tenure with the Zags.
LONE SENIOR: Middle blocker Shannon O'Connor will be Gonzaga's lone senior honored on Saturday night when the Zags play their final contest of the season. O'Connor has been hampered by injuries over the past two seasons that have limited her play to just 58 games last season and 24 games this year. Last season she had her best two matches of the season against Portland knocking down 17 kills in one match and recording eight digs and seven blocks in the second match. O'Connor currently ranks in the single match record book in two categories. She ranks fifth in blocks assisted with nine against Weber State in 1998. O'Connor also ranks tenth in service aces with five against San Francisco in 1999.
A FRESHMAN OF INFLUENCE: Freshman outside hitter Christina Davis has quietly become one of the top freshman in the West Coast Conference as the Idaho native currently ranks in the Top 10 in the WCC in two categories. Davis ranks 9th in kills per game with 3.11 and ranks 6th in service aces with 0.34 per game. Davis is currently the Zags team leader in kills with 264 while ranking second in service aces behind Katerina Chroustovska. Davis also ranks third on the team with 207 digs.
BEST SEASON SINCE 1998: With one match remaining on the schedule, Gonzaga has already completed its best season since 1998 when the Zags finished 8-22 overall and 5-9 in the WCC. This season Gonzaga has already posted eight wins with one match remaining. The Zags have also collected four WCC wins and have a chance at a fifth win on Saturday against Portland. Should the Zags win that match they will have completed the best season since 1997 when the Zags went 9-21 in Eva Windlin-Jansen's first full year as head coach.
CHROUSTOVSKA TO BREAK INTO TOP 10: Despite a season shortened by four matches, junior setter Katerina Chroustovska will still break into the Gonzaga single season record book for assists following this weekend's match with Portland. The native of the Czech Republic needs just 13 assists to move into 10th place on the single season record book. Chroustovska currently has 1,026 assists on the season and ranks fifth in the WCC in assists per game. Gonzaga's single season assists leader is Erica Cordy who passed out 1,549 assists during the 1990 season as the Zags advanced to their only NCAA volleyball tournament.
