Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash.--The Gonzaga University volleyball team won more points than Loyola Marymount Thursday night, but it was the Lions who picked up more sets as LMU topped Gonzaga in five (14-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-21, 15-9) at the Martin Centre in Spokane.

The Bulldogs took an early 7-2 lead in the first set, winning six straight points -- five on the serve of redshirt senior Savannah Blinn -- before Loyola Marymount called a timeout. The Lions earned a sideout coming out of that break, but a few points later, the Zags took four consecutive points again for a 15-7 set advantage. From that point, the Zags continued to outpace the Lions and won the frame by a 25-14 margin. Redshirt junior Paige Folger pounded home the final kill for Gonzaga.

In the second, both teams stayed in contact with each other for the first half of the set. Up by two, however, Loyola Marymount pulled away with five consecutive points for a 19-12 lead. Gonzaga did trim its deficit to three at 23-20, but the Lions held on and took the frame 25-21.

The Zags used a strong attack and defense to take the third set 25-17. The Bulldogs didn't cede consecutive points until they held a 16-10 set advantage, and that strong defense led to a sideout percentage of 0.83 in the frame. Offensively, they hit .500 in the third with 14 kills and just one attack error. They used a pair of 3-0 runs in quick succession to take a 14-7 lead in the frame, and a 9-4 run gave the home team the set victory at 25-17. Four different Zags tallied at least three kills in the frame, led by Blinn's four kills in five attempts.

With the fourth set tied at eight points apiece, Loyola Marymount used a 5-1 run to grab a 13-9 advantage, one they wouldn't give up. After the Zags drew within two at 18-16, LMU rode a 6-2 run to take set point. The Bulldogs fought off three straight set points, but the Lions closed out the frame 25-21 with a kill from Rachelle Suaava. Gonzaga hit .409 during the frame, but the Lions countered with a .467 set hitting percentage of their own.

Gonzaga took an early 2-1 lead in the deciding fifth set with a Lion attack error and Blinn kill, but LMU responded with three straight points for a 4-2 lead. After senior Jordan Gasser earned a sideout for GU, the Lions took the next two points for a three-point advantage. The deficit remained at three until LMU led 12-9, and the Lions closed out the match with three straight points and a 15-9 set scoreline.

Bulldog Bites:

• With her second kill of set No. 2, Blinn moved into third on Gonzaga's all-time kills list. She passed Linda Bushinkski, who racked up 1,505 kills from 1984-88. Blinn ended the match with 1,522 career kills. That total is the seventh highest among active players in all of Division I.
• Blinn pounded 19 kills, including six in set No. 2 and four in each of the final three sets. Those 19 kills came with two attack errors on 32 total swings for a .531 hit percentage, her second best of the year. She's now posted 19 kills four times this season, all of which are the opposite hitter's third highest total of the year.
• Gonzaga once again won the battle at the net, outblocking Loyola Marymount 11.0 to 6.0. They haven't been outblocked in 14 matches, winning the blocking battle outright in 13 of those contests. Folger led all players with six blocks while redshirt junior Imani Wimbush added five. Junior Emmy Allen and sophomore Kaylie Loewen contributed four total blocks apiece.
• Freshman Faith Smith dished out 28 assists on the night, just one off the setter's season high. She posted 29 assists Aug. 29 versus Boise State and Sept. 26 versus Saint Mary's. The San Diego native also reached the 28-assist mark Oct. 1 at San Francisco.

Next Up:

The Bulldogs (11-7, 2-3 WCC) will wrap up the brief homestand Saturday, Oct. 10 with a match against Pepperdine. First serve for that contest is slated for 12:00 p.m., again at the Martin Centre. The two squads split the season series last season with each winning on its home floor. Gonzaga's four-set win in Spokane snapped a 34-match losing streak against the Waves.