Box Score

MALIBU, Calif.-The Gonzaga University volleyball team picked up a historic win Thursday night, earning its first-ever road win against Pepperdine in four sets (25-22, 25-19, 19-25, 25-18) at Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu.

Gonzaga took the early match lead, winning the first set by three points. Near the end of the frame, they took the lead on a 6-1 run, getting those points on five team kills and a service ace from McKayla Ferris. With the visitors up 20-16, the Waves rallied to even the set at 22 points apiece, but Gonzaga took the final three points for a 25-22 set win and the early match advantage.

In the second, the Waves jumped out to an early five-point lead at 1-6, but that didn't faze the Zags as they tied the frame at 11-11 in the midst of a 5-0 run. The two squads then traded points until Gonzaga took four of five for an advantage at 18-15, and they closed the set on another 6-1 run to take it by six points. During the frame, Gonzaga hit .378, pairing 17 kills with just three attack errors for the most efficient attacking set of the night. Paige Folger led the Zags during the game with seven kills on eight total swings; she ended the night with 10 kills and a .562 attack percentage.

Pepperdine forced a fourth set by taking the third 19-25, but Gonzaga clinched the match by taking the fourth. In that final frame, Gonzaga took a lead at 14-12, getting points off a Pepperdine attack error and a kill from Katelyn Oppio. From that mark, the Bulldog defense allowed no more than two consecutive points to maintain their lead until the end. The Waves twice came back within one point, the latest coming at 16-15. Gonzaga then won the next three for a four-point advantage and ended the match with the final four points. After a block from Ferris and Folger and a kill from Imani Wimbush, Folger clinched the historic night by finishing off a pass from Faith Smith.

Bulldog Bites:

• Gonzaga and Pepperdine have played home-and-home series every season since the Zags joined the West Coast Conference in 1987, and the Zags entered the night with just five wins, all in Spokane. Two of those have come over the last two years, however, as the Zags beat Pepperdine in Spokane during the 2014 and 2015 campaigns. The two clubs will meet once more this season: on Saturday Nov. 5 in Spokane.
• The Zags dug up 88 Pepperdine attacks Thursday night, their second-highest total of the season and most digs in a four-set match since 2007. Gonzaga saw 30 digs in the first set alone, 12 of which came from libero Tiyana Hallums. Hallums led all players with 21 digs while freshman Jenna Kuehn was one behind her at 20, a career high. Smith and Emmy Allen also reached double digits on the night.
• Three Zags picked up double-doubles Thursday: Smith provided 28 assists and 11 digs, Kuehn added 15 assists and 20 kills, while Allen landed 16 kills to go along with 11 digs. This is the third match of the year where three Bulldogs posted double-doubles, and the first since August 27 versus Idaho State.

Zag Speak: Thoughts from head coach Diane Nelson

• "Tonight was about passing. We were steady all the way through our serve and pass game."
• "We made a few adjustments in set four, and I have to hand it to Morgan Douglass for coming in and making huge plays! I had confidence in anyone coming in to give us a boost."

Next Up:

Gonzaga (10-5, 3-2 WCC) continues its tour of southern California Saturday, Oct. 8, with a match at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. That contest will begin at Noon at Gersten Pavilion on the LMU campus.