Box Score

LOS ANGELES-Just two days after playing five sets at Pepperdine, the Gonzaga University volleyball team saw another five-setter in Los Angeles, falling to Loyola Marymount 3-2 Saturday at Gersten Pavilion.

Loyola Marymount jumped out to an early five-point lead in the first set, but a Gonzaga timeout halted the break. Shortly after that, the Zags pulled within three and stayed at that deficit until the 18-15 mark. After two straight LMU points, Gonzaga ripped off three in a row, coming within two at 20-18. The Lions re-established a five point advantage, and that held as LMU won the first set 25-21.

The Zags evened the match by taking an exciting, elongated second set. Down in the frame 12-10, Gonzaga scored six consecutive points to take a lead with the last five of those points coming from blocks. Kaylie Loewen and Savannah Blinn teamed up for three of those blocks, and Jordan Gasser went up for two herself to help give the Bulldogs a lead. The Lions used a three-point stretch to pull ahead at 22-21, but Gonzaga evened the set with a kill from Emmy Allen. After Allen's kill, the sides essentially traded points until the Bulldogs ended the frame with a three point run well into extra points. Paige Folger evened the score at 29-all, and the Zags forced two LMU attack errors to draw level.

Gonzaga followed up the extended set with another win, taking the third set 21-25. A large run in the beginning of the frame gave Loyola Marymount an 8-5 lead, and the Lions held the advantage until Gonzaga scored four straight to pull ahead 18-20. Allen supplied two kills during that stretch, and Tiyana Hallums chipped in with a service ace as well. After a pair of LMU sideouts, Blinn landed three straight kills, and Folger and McKayla Ferris ended the frame with a block.

After the Zags began the fourth set with a pair of kills from Allen and Ferris, the Lions took the lead with four straight points and never relinquished it. Despite trailing for most of the set, Gonzaga hung with the Lions well past the midpoint of the frame. A three-point run brought the Zags within one at 17-16, but the Lions answered back with a five straight of their own for a 22-16 lead. They won the frame 25-18.

In the fifth, Loyola Marymount scored six of the first seven points for a lead the Zags could not overcome. Allen ended a four-point LMU run with a kill, and the Zags got another point off an LMU attack error, but another brief run by the home team gave the Lions a seven point lead. That difference remained as LMU took the final frame 15-8.

Bulldog Bites:

• Sophomore Nikki Leonard dished out 32 assists Saturday afternoon, the most by a Bulldog this season and just two away from equaling a personal best. The match at LMU was her first significant time at setter in nearly a month as she last posted multiple assists Oct. 8 against the Lions in Spokane. The only other Bulldog to reach the 30-assist mark in a single match this season is Faith Smith, who dished out 31 at Pepperdine Nov. 5.
• As a team, Gonzaga blocked 14.0 shots, outblocking the Lions by two. They've now outblocked their opponents in 17 matches this season and have reached the double-digit mark on 13 different occasions. Loewen led the Zags with six blocks, and Blinn was just behind her at five. Half of their blocks against LMU Saturday came in the second set, including five in a row at one point.
• Allen notched her second double-double of the year, adding 11 kills and 13 digs to the Zags' cause. Those 13 digs mark her second-best defensive effort of the year, and it's the seventh time she reached double digits in kills as well. With Allen's double-double, the Zags now have 16 on the year, and six different Bulldogs have posted at least one.

Zag Speak:

Gonzaga head coach Dave Gantt:

"Through the first four sets we once again worked the game plan to give ourselves a chance. But in the end we just got beat in the serving and passing game. We really stumbled at the beginning of the fifth set because we just aren't trusting ourselves in key situations."

Next Up:

Gonzaga (14-12, 5-8 WCC) returns to Spokane next weekend for the final two home matches of the season. They begin the final homestand Thursday, Nov. 12 with a contest against San Diego, and they close out the home slate Sunday, Nov. 14 against BYU. It'll be the final time four seniors - Blinn, Gasser, Lauren Joseph, and Deanna Nielson - take the Martin Centre court for Gonzaga.