Loyola Marymount Notes | Pepperdine Notes

Oct. 8-10 Game Notes

SCHEDULE

LAST TIME OUT:

• Gonzaga played its first two road conference matches last weekend, dropping a five-set match at San Francisco and a four-setter at Santa Clara. On Oct. 1 in San Francisco, the Zags dropped the first two sets but won the next two to force a deciding fifth set. USF used a 7-1 run to pull ahead in the fifth, snapping Gonzaga's four match win streak against USF. Savannah Blinn equaled GU's season high with 23 kills against the Dons, and the five-setter brought about squad highs with 74 digs, 70 kills, and 63 assists. Each of the last five matches between the two schools has gone to five sets.
• In Santa Clara Oct. 3, the Zags dominated the first set with a 9-25 scoreline, but the Broncos returned the favor and took the second 25-12. The home team edged GU in the third by two points, and a 4-0 run to begin the fourth doomed the Zags in both the set and the match. Macee Utecht posted a career high 19 digs and Kaylie Loewen blocked a personal best nine attacks in the loss.

BUSHELS OF BLOCKS

• The Zags have been collecting blocks left and right lately, averaging 2.99 blocks per set during the last 13 matches. They've outblocked 12 of their 13 opponents during that stretch and have yet to be outblocked themselves. Their five highest block totals of the year have also come during the last month (since Sept. 5), including the season high of 17.0 against Pacific Sept. 24.
• On the year, the Zags lead the West Coast Conference and are ninth in the nation with 172.5 total blocks. They average 2.78 a set, second in the conference and 19th in Division I. That average is the program's best since 2007 and is tied for the second highest in the last 11 years.
• Three Zags - juniors Paige Folger and Imani Wimbush and sophomore Kaylie Loewen - are all among the conference's top 10 in blocks per set. Folger's mark of 1.12 per frame is seventh in the WCC while Wimbush is right behind with 1.11 and in eighth. Loewen is 10th with 1.05 a set. Wimbush and Loewen are currently posting career-best blocks per set ratios, as are Emmy Allen, Savannah Blinn, and McKayla Ferris.

A LOOK BACK TO LAST YEAR:

• The Zags have good memories of the last time both Loyola Marymount and Pepperdine visited the Martin Centre. Gonzaga beat both squads in Spokane in 2014, marking the first time in program history they beat the two Southern California schools during the same weekend. On Oct. 2, the Zags rattled off three straight set wins for the 3-1 match victory against Pepperdine. Two days later, the Zags outbattled LMU by a 3-1 score with all four sets going into extra points. Blinn pounded 29 kills as the Zags hit .306 against the Lions and blocked 18.5 shots, the most by the Bulldogs during a four-set match since 2011.

#BLINNING UPDATE:

• Redshirt senior Savannah Blinn remains one of the most dangerous offensive players in Division I. Her 250 kills are third in the conference, and her 4.10 kills per set ratio is fifth. During her four year playing career (since 2012), she's averaged 4.08 kills per set, the fourth highest mark of all active players in Division I. She's also seventh in D1 with 1,503 career kills. The opposite hitter is just three kills away from moving into third on Gonzaga's all-time kills list.

COME ONE, COME ALL:

• The Zags have been bringing out the fans all season as they average 604 fans per game at the Martin Centre. That's the third highest average attendance in the West Coast Conference. Their season average is the highest in more than 11 years. When considering the capacity percentage, those fans fill up 30.2% of the 2,000-seat Martin Centre, second best in the conference.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS WEEKEND:

• Loyola Marymount enters the weekend with a 10-6 record and 1-3 mark in WCC action, beating Saint Mary's in three while falling to Pepperdine, BYU, and Pacific. The Lions are fourth in the WCC and among the NCAA's top 50 in assists per set (13.06) and kills per set (13.82). Hannah Tedrow tops the league and is 13th in the nation with 11.5 assists every frame, and both Jamie Lea and Sarah Sponcil are among the conference's top 10 with 3.80 and 3.42 kills per set, respectively. Raychelle Suaava is sixth in the WCC with 1.15 blocks a set, just in front of the GU pair of Folger and Wimbush.
• The Waves are 11-6 on the year and 2-2 in conference play with wins over LMU and Pacific but losses at San Diego and against Saint Mary's. They lead the WCC with 1,035 total digs and are second at 16.17 digs per set. Lara Dykstra is also second in the conference by averaging 4.53 digs a frame, and she's also served up 23 aces so far for fourth in the WCC. Offensively, the Waves hit .241 and are led by Heidi Dyer, who averages 2.83 kills a set, although two others average above 2.60 as well. Setter Becca Strehlow is fifth in the WCC with 10.47 assists a set.

OPTIONS. OPTIONS ARE NICE:

• While Blinn does spearhead the Gonzaga offense, there are plenty of other attacking options for the Bulldogs' setters to utilize. Blinn's 4.10 kills per set leads the Zags, but there are three others averaging over 2.00 kills per set as well. Jordan Gasser is second with 2.89 kills a frame, Ferris has 2.66 kills a set, and Emmy Allen's at 2.13 every frame. The last time four or more Bulldogs averaged over 2.0 kills per set over an entire season was 2007 when five cleared the 2.0 kills/set mark.
• Blinn's been the leading GU attacker in 12 matches for the Zags this season, and the trio of Gasser, Ferris, and Allen has topped GU's kill totals in the other five matches. Both Ferris and Allen have paced Gonzaga twice this year while Gasser's done so once.
• Lately, Imani Wimbush has been supporting the Zag offense nicely as well. She's averaged 2.47 kills per set in conference play, raising her season average to 1.67. Wimbush also has the highest attack percentage of the Zags' typical attackers, finishing off 31.5 percent of her attempts. That's 35 points higher than the second-place Blinn.

THE CENTRE OF BUSINESS:

• It may be the Canadian spelling, but the Zags have been seen success at home in the Martin Centre for the last few years. In 2014, GU was 7-5 at home, their first winning record in Spokane in more than 10 years. In 2013, the Zags were .500 with a 6-6 record in Martin. Both of those seasons saw a 4-5 WCC home record. This year, the Zags are 6-2 at home with a 2-0 WCC home record.