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SPOKANE, Wash.-The Gonzaga volleyball team faced its second ranked foe in as many matches Saturday, falling to No. 12 San Diego in three sets (25-16, 25-23, 25-11) inside the Martin Centre in Spokane.

"San Diego is a very offensive team, and we had to be mentally sharp in our blocking and defensive schemes," said Gonzaga head coach Diane Nelson. "I thought our kids were prepared, they just had to make more plays. The way their offense goes, they make you play fast, and we're getting there."

Like versus No. 9 BYU on Nov. 9, Saturday's second set was the closest as the Bulldogs and Toreros combined for three lead changes and seven tie scores. San Diego established a five-point lead at 14-9, but the Zags rolled that back with a 1-5 run, tying the frame at 18 on a service ace from Marit Thorkildsen. After trading the next four points, GU took a 20-21 lead as Kaylie Loewen and Chapin Gray combined for a block. The Toreros, however, re-tied the frame at 23-all before taking the final two points and the set 25-23.

Despite the loss, the Bulldogs (13-14, 8-7 WCC) remain tied for third place in the West Coast Conference standings with Pacific and Loyola Marymount.

After stopping eight Torero attacks Saturday, including four alone in the second set, Gonzaga out-blocked San Diego 8.0-7.0. Loewen was involved in half of those blocks, and Payton Mack assisted on three more. Mack, Gray, and Sarah Penner each landed five kills on the day, and juniors Jenna Kuehn and Tiyana Hallums paced the defense with seven digs apiece. Thirteen different Zags took the floor for Gonzaga throughout the match.

Gonzaga will look to keep hold of third place with a regular season-ending stretch of three matches in five days. That begins with a showdown against the Tigers on Thursday, Nov. 16 in Stockton, Calif. GU downed Pacific in five sets earlier in the year in Spokane.