Box Score

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--The Gonzaga University volleyball team wrapped up its first conference road trip of the season Saturday, falling to Santa Clara 3-1 at the Leavey Center in Santa Clara.

Gonzaga took the first set with an efficient .400 hit percentage, paced by redshirt junior Imani Wimbush. The middle blocker tallied kills on six of her seven attempts during the frame. Up just one after the first five points, GU rattled off seven straight points and followed up a Santa Clara sideout with another stretch of six straight for a dominant 13-1 run. That gave the Bulldogs a 16-3 set advantage. Gonzaga then ran out the frame, scoring the final two points on a Savannah Blinn kill and SCU attack error to put a cap on a 25-9 first set.

GU scored five of the first seven points in the second set, but Santa Clara responded with a 6-1 run of its own to take the lead. Once ahead in the set, the Broncos didn't relent, and the home side took the frame 25-12.

The two teams traded points well into third set, and then Santa Clara used a four point run for a 13-8 lead near the set's midpoint. The Bulldogs responded with a run of their own, pulling within two points. They eventually drew even at 15-all and re-tied the set at 19 after the Broncos re-established a three point lead. The frame was far from over, however, as the two squads were tied at 21, 22, and 23 before Santa Clara won the final two points for a 25-23 set victory.

Santa Clara jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fourth and final frame, and Gonzaga spent the entire set attempting to catch up. GU put together a few runs, including a five-point stretch to pull within four at 16-12, but they couldn't fully eliminate the deficit as Santa Clara held on for a 25-20 set victory and 3-1 match win.

Bulldog Bites:

• Junior Macee Utecht played libero for Gonzaga Saturday, digging up 19 Bronco attacks to lead the Bulldogs in the category. That mark is the best of Utecht's career, surpassing the 16 she posted in 2014 against Washington. Utecht made her first appearance in the red jersey for Gonzaga this season.
• Sophomore Kaylie Loewen blocked nine Santa Clara attacks, all on block assists. The mark is also a career high and the second-highest by a Bulldog this season. Redshirt junior Paige Folger blocked 10 shots Sept. 24 versus Pacific.
• Senior Jordan Gasser posted her second consecutive double-double and third of the season Saturday. She dug up 17 balls against Santa Clara, and she also finished off 10 kills as well. She tallied 15 digs and 14 kills Oct. 1 at San Francisco. Her other double-double came Sept. 13 at Arizona State.
• With 14.5 team blocks, the Zags outblocked Santa Clara by 2.5. This is the seventh consecutive match in which they've outblocked their opponent, and they haven't been outblocked themselves in 13 matches. They've averaged 3.0 blocks per set during that stretch.

Zag Speak:

Gonzaga head coach Dave Gantt:

"Set one was the best of Gonzaga, and set two was the mirror image for Santa Clara. It was really best two of three after the intermission. We just had no sense of urgency in the beginning of sets three and four. Statistically it was a draw with a slight edge in serving and digging going to Santa Clara."

"In the WCC, you will rarely survive allowing early runs of points, and we did that in both of those sets. In set three we recovered to go ahead 20-19, but then we gave up a late run to let it slip away. In the fourth we were down 4-0 before we could blink and didn't really fight back. We need to credit Santa Clara for showing a lot of heart on defense as they won most of the big points in the final two sets."

"There is parity throughout the entire league this year, so we need to be absolutely aware of each situation and make something positive happen every time we create an opportunity."

Next Up:

Gonzaga volleyball (11-6, 2-2 WCC) returns home for a two-match stint against Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount Oct. 8 and 10. The brief homestand begins Thursday, Oct. 8 with a 6:00 p.m. match against the Waves in Spokane's Martin Centre.