Box Score Nov. 5, 2015 Box Score
MALIBU, Calif.-Gonzaga volleyball's bid for a season sweep against Pepperdine nearly was fulfilled Thursday, but the Waves eked out a win in the tough five-setter by a score of three sets to two at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif.
The Zags jumped out to a big early lead, scoring five consecutive points for a 1-6 lead. Four of those points were on Pepperdine block errors, although one of those errors was from a Kaylie Loewen block, and Emmy Allen served up an ace for the fifth point in that run. The Waves countered with their own large run later, scoring nine of 10 points for an 11-8 lead. That advantage grew into a 19-10 lead, but the Bulldogs bounced back to pull within four at 18-22. After the Bulldogs' run, Pepperdine ran out the rest of the frame and took an early match advantage with a 25-19 set one score.
In the second set, the visitors never trailed as Gonzaga evened the match at one set apiece. The Bulldogs opened the frame with back-to-back kills from Paige Folger and Savannah Blinn, and a few points later they established a four-point advantage at 11-7 with another kill from Blinn. Pepperdine responded with four in a row for the third and final tie score of the set, but the Zags countered with their own five-point run to take a permanent advantage. During the run, Loewen and Blinn teamed up for a block, Loewen added another kill, and freshman Faith Smith served up an ace to go along with a pair of Pepperdine errors. Later, Gonzaga enjoyed another four-point run with kills from Allen, Folger, and Jordan Gasser, as well as an ace from Tiyana Hallums for a 16-22 advantage. GU maintained that margin for a 19-25 set two victory.
After the break, it was tough to find a difference between the two teams as neither side led by more than three points throughout the entire third frame. The two sides could only get two points of separation until the Waves scored four in a row for a 12-9 lead, and from that point, neither side won more than two consecutive points until Gonzaga strung together three in a row late in the frame when a Pepperdine service error and consecutive kills from Loewen and Gasser evened the frame at 22-all. After a Wave timeout, the home side came out and won the next three points for a 22-25 set win.
Pepperdine took an early 5-2 lead in the fourth set after the Waves' Nikki Lyons finished off four consecutive kills. Loewen halted the run with a kill and a sideout for Gonzaga, which began another session of point-trading. With the score at 10-7 in favor of the home team, the Zags tied it up with kills from Allen and McKayla Ferris along with a block from Folger and Ferris. After three more points for each side, Gasser gave GU another lead with a kill, and she and Loewen combined for a block and a two-point GU lead. Pepperdine responded by winning the next two for a tie score, but Gasser pounded home another kill, her 12th of the night, for another Gonzaga advantage. After another Pepperdine sideout, the Zags won the next three points for a 16-19 advantage, and they took two of the next three points for a four-point lead at 17-21. The Zags ended the frame on a 3-0 run to force a deciding fifth set.
In the fifth, Pepperdine roared out to a four-point lead, but Allen halted the run with a kill and served up three more points to tie the frame at four. The teams then traded the next seven points, but Pepperdine won three straight for a 10-8 lead. Gonzaga battled back to tie the frame at 11 with consecutive kills from Gasser and Blinn, and the score remained tied at 13-all four points later, but the Waves won the final two points for a 15-13 set win and a 3-2 match victory.
Bulldog Bites:
- Gonzaga's 18 blocks are a team high on the year, the most since stuffing 18.5 against Loyola Marymount in 2014. Folger led GU with nine â€" one solo and eight assists â€" while Loewen was just one off that pace with eight block assists. Blinn chipped in six, and Allen added five as well.
- Three Zags set career highs Thursday night. Ferris dug up 17 attacks from the Waves for a personal best, and Hallums added 20 digs for a career high as well. Smith, meanwhile, dished out 31 assists to best her previous high by two. The freshman from San Diego also added 10 digs for a double-double, her eighth of the year.
- Gasser had a strong match offensively, finishing second on the team with 15 kills after hitting .303. The kill total is her third best of the year and highest since flooring 16 against Saint Mary's Sept. 26.
Zag Speak:
Gonzaga head coach Dave Gantt:
"On any occasion that you don't play well, it's unfortunate. This evening was even more unfortunate because we had a chance to sweep Pepperdine and move into fifth place in the conference. I feel bad for those who may never have this opportunity again."
Next Up:
Gonzaga (14-11, 5-7 WCC) will close the weekend with a 12:00 p.m. contest at Loyola Marymount Saturday, Nov. 7, in Los Angeles. That will be the second matchup of the season against the Lions as LMU won a tight five-setter Oct. 8 in Spokane.
