Box Score Oct. 31, 2015 Box Score
SPOKANE, Wash.--The Gonzaga University volleyball team picked up its 10th sweep of the season Saturday, beating San Francisco in three sets at the Martin Centre in Spokane, Wash.
Junior outside hitter McKayla Ferris helped Gonzaga jump out to a one-set lead, posting six kills and seven digs in the first frame alone. The Zags opened up a four point lead in the middle of the frame and held it throughout, although the Dons did claw back to within one at the 14-13 mark. At that point, Ferris started off another four-point run for Gonzaga with a kill and then assisted Lauren Joseph for a point in addition to blasting another for herself. A USF attack error gave the Zags an 18-13 lead, and Gonzaga maintained the margin for a 25-19 set one victory.
In the second, Gonzaga ripped off four straight points to take a 14-10 lead thanks in large part by Paige Folger. The redshirt junior was involved with all four points during the stretch, pounding home two kills and assisting with a pair of blocks as well. The Bulldogs maintained that lead for a bit, trading points with the Dons before finishing off the set on a kill from Savannah Blinn and block by Joseph and Kaylie Loewen. Gonzaga won the set 25-21.
San Francisco opened up a four-point lead early in the third set, but a Gonzaga timeout halted the run and awoke the Bulldogs' offense. After the break, the Zags erupted for six consecutive points, including two straight aces from Allen, for an 8-6 lead. The Dons responded and took a couple brief one-point leads, but Gonzaga rattled off four straight points to take the lead for good at 15-12. They used another big run to take a six-point lead, getting kills from Folger and Faith Smith along with another Allen ace. Gonzaga ended the match with a kill from Loewen and a USF attack error, clinching the third set at 25-19 and the match at 3-0.
Bulldog Bites:
- Gonzaga's middle blockers - Loewen and Folger - spearheaded the Gonzaga attack all day. The two combined for 15 total kills, including a career high 11 from Loewen. The Penticton, British Columbia, native hit for .667 on the day (tied for her second-best mark on the year) earning those 11 kills on 15 attacks. When combining Folger's and Loewen's hit percentages, the pair hit .560 with five kills in the first set and six in the second. Loewen was a perfect 3-for-3 in the third.
- The Zags picked up their 10th 3-0 win of the year Friday, advancing to 10-2 in three-setters this season. They're now one 3-0 win away from tying the school record which was set in 1989 and equaled in both 1990 and 1992. This was the first three-set match between the two schools since 2012; the last five matchups have each gone to five sets.
- Ferris posted her first double-double of the season, posting 11 kills and 13 digs against the Dons. Many of those came in the first frame, but she did add three kills in the second and five digs in the third. Thirteen digs are her second-highest mark of the year - only the 15 against UMKC on Sept. 19 beats that - and she's hit double digits in kills in two of the last three matches.
Zag Speak:
Gonzaga head coach Dave Gantt:
"First and foremost in serve/receive, we passed very well the entire match. We gave up a run at the beginning of the third set, but other than that we were just rock solid. We sided out at a clip that we needed to, too; that was the key. We were also scoring on defense. If you put yourself in a situation where you have to catch up, that's how you do it. In our situation today, we serve/received well enough to use the serving opportunities to separate, which is what you want to do."
"Our offense was spread out; any time you get your middles 25 swings in three sets, it's a great day. For them to hit.500 or higher between the two of them, that will keep the defense honest on the other side. Today, we just had to flip it. Our outsides - Sav [Blinn] didn't really get going like she normally does - but that's fine because she didn't have to carry the whole load. I was really proud of how we were able to carry the offense with the setters and the wrinkle that we threw in."
"That has to be a career match for Kaylie in terms of kills, and certainly .667 has to be up there, too. Nikki [Leonard] did a nice job of coming in in a role where she was passing and digging; she was our number three digger with five of them in the second set alone. That's pretty good. Emmy had some timely aces in the third set; everyone contributed the way they were supposed to. That's very reassuring."
Next Up:
The Bulldogs (14-10, 5-6 WCC) will return to the road for two matches next weekend, flying to Southern California for matches at Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount. They'll begin the weekend in Malibu for a Nov. 5 matchup with the Waves. Earlier in the year, Gonzaga picked up its first sweep of the Waves in 23 years with a 3-0 win in Spokane.
