Oct. 30, 2004

Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. - The Gonzaga University Bulldogs nearly gave their fans an early Halloween treat as they pushed Santa Clara University early before falling in four games to the 19th-ranked Broncos in Saturday night West Coast Conference volleyball action. After falling in the first game 30-24, Santa Clara rallied to win the next three games 30-19, 30-16, and 30-22. The Broncos improved to 16-4 overall, 7-2 in the WCC while Gonzaga fell to 4-19 overall and 0-9 in the WCC.

Gonzaga opened the match with some hot hitting as the Zags connected for 17 kills and a .424 attack percentage during the game one win. Lacey Bell and Becky Jones paced the GU offense on the night finishing with nine kills each. Bell also added a team-high 13 digs for Gonzaga. Emilee Gihring contributed 11 digs and 31 assists while Jessica Herrera reached double-digit digs for the 23rd match this season.

Santa Clara regrouped after the first game behind the hot hand of Kim McGiven. McGiven finished with 18 kills and a .304 attack percentage as five Santa Clara players finished in double-digit kills. Santa Clara also dominated play at the net with 21 blocks compared to just seven for Gonzaga. Nora Miller had five block assists along with Anna Cmaylo's five block assists. Miller also chipped in with 13 kills while Cmaylo added 10.

"We opened the match with some great intensity and it paid off for our team with a game one win," said Bulldogs head coach Kip Yoshimura. "Our team did some good things on the court and they continued to play hard even at the end as we scored five or six points while Santa Clara was at match-point. Now we need to take the next step with our program and learn how to play a full match against teams like Santa Clara."

Gonzaga hits the road for WCC action next weekend with matches at the University of San Francisco and Saint Mary's College.