Gonzaga University
6-5
Washington State
5-3
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WASHINGTON STATE | 30 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 3 |
| GONZAGA BULLDOGS | 27 | 30 | 24 | 26 | 1 |
Cougars Spoil Volleyball Home Opener
9/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 13, 2005
SPOKANE, Wash. -In a fairly balanced match, Washington State University made the most of their seven additional kills as they played spoiler for Gonzaga University's 2005 home opener. The Cougars picked up a 3-1 victory in front of 754 at the Martin Centre as WSU won 30-27, 27-30, 30-24, 30-26. WSU improved to 5-3 on the season while Gonzaga fell to 6-5.
The Bulldogs tallied two more kills than WSU in the opening match but could not overcome the big front row players of the Cougars as WSU had 8 team blocks in the first game limiting GU to a .059 attack percentage. Washington State would finish the game with 14 team blocks led by middle blocker Natalia Owens with seven (2 solo, five assisted). Gonzaga offense which had been swinging extremely well the last seven matches was held to .117 for the match.
In the second game Gonzaga jumped out to a 10 point lead before several unforced errors allowed WSU to close the gap to lose by only three points. The Bulldogs dropped in 15 kills in that game as Becky Jones and Michelle Boevers paced the Zags attack. Jones finished with a match-high 19 kills on 56 swings while Boevers had 15 kills. Jones also added 16 digs to give her four straight double-doubles.
Washington State controlled game three riding the strong hitting of Jen Barcus and Kelly Rosin. Both players led the Cougars with 18 attacks, Barcus hitting a team best .385 for the match. Barcus and Rosin also carried WSU in the final game as they broke open a 23-23 tie to score seven of the last ten points. Owens added 15 kills for WSU.
Despite low hitting numbers Gonzaga was able to stay in the match with another outstanding dig performance. Gonzaga had 79 team digs with five players reaching double figures. Jessica Herrera led all players with 17.
"This was a frustrating lose for us because we had several chances to win this match," stated Bulldogs head coach Kip Yoshimura after the match. "Our kids played with lots of energy and I think we were able to feed off the big crowd but we still need to work on some of the little things to become a really good team. I think we showed our fans glimpses of some great things that lay ahead for Gonzaga volleyball."
Gonzaga will get a chance to put those things to work this weekend when they head to the Fiesta Bowl Classic in Flagstaff, Ariz. The Bulldogs will play Baylor, Northern Arizona and UTEP in the two-day event. Washington State heads to the Saint Louis University Tournament.
