Box Score

STOCKTON, Calif. -- The Gonzaga volleyball squad saw stretches of strong play Saturday afternoon, but those runs weren't enough as Pacific beat the Zags 3-0 to close out the opening weekend of West Coast Conference play in Stockton.

The Tigers won a tightly-contested first set to take the early advantage. Both teams held multiple leads during the first 20 points, but Pacific eventually worked the score to 17-13. The Zags chipped away at that deficit and brought the set even at 24-all with a Tiger service error and a kill by Emmy Allen, her seventh in the frame. After the Zags fought off those two set points, the Tigers won the next two to take the match, landing one kill and seeing an attack attempt from Allen miss its mark.

Pacific went up 2-0 after taking a big lead in the second set and withstanding a late Gonzaga rally. Thanks in part to the Bulldogs' serving struggles, the Tigers used a 9-2 run to take a six-point advantage at 13-7. The home team stretched that lead to 10 points at 24-14, but the Zags turned aside five set points, getting a block from Faith Smith and Katelyn Oppio, three kills from Oppio and McKayla Ferris, and a service ace from Allen. Ashlyn Fleming then ended the Zags' dreams of a comeback with a kill for Pacific to end the set.

In the third frame, another run in the middle of the set gave Pacific a nine-point lead at 18-9. Oppio then forced a sideout with a kill, which sparked a furious rally that drew the Bulldogs within one. The Zags blocked three attacks in that stretch, bringing their tally to 11 on the match. After Pacific called two timeouts in an attempt to cool off the suddenly-rolling Bulldogs, Lexi Elman halted the run with a kill. Gonzaga twice more came within one point of the home team, but the Tigers closed out the match on kills from Fleming and Elman.

Bulldog Bites:

• The Bulldogs posted 11.0 team blocks against Pacific Saturday, reaching double-digits for the fifth time this season. They have a history of good middle play against the Tigers, stopping at least 10 attacks in each match between the two squads since Pacific joined the conference in 2013.
• In addition to logging a double-double -- her sixth of the season -- with 22 assists and 11 digs, Smith set a career high with three blocks. The 5-6 setter from San Diego entered the match with just two blocks this season, one against Idaho State Aug. 27 and one Sept. 22 at Saint Mary's.
• Allen worked her way to 11 kills Saturday, reaching double-digits for the third match in a row. She's grounded at least 10 kills nine times this year. After leading the Zags in the category against both Saint Mary's and Pacific, Allen is tied with Ferris for the team lead in kills this season. Both have tallied 169 on the year so far.

Zag Speak: Thoughts from Gonzaga head coach Diane Nelson

"We had moments of solid Zag volleyball out there today, but our average level of play was too sporadic to gain much momentum."

Next Up:

After playing the first 12 matches on the road, Gonzaga (7-5, 0-2 WCC) will finally begin its nine-match home slate by hosting Santa Clara on Thursday, Sept. 29. That match will begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Martin Centre in Spokane.