Gonzaga Notes

Zags at Santa Clara: 7:00 pm Thursday, Sept. 28

Zags at San Francisco: 12:00 pm Saturday, Sept. 30

LAST WEEKEND:

• The Zags opened WCC play with two exciting five-set wins at home last weekend...against Saint Mary's, GU won sets four and five for a late comeback victory Sept. 21...two days later, the Zags were a few points shy of a four-set win before finishing off Pacific in the fifth...in that fifth set, GU hit .526, landing 10 kills compared to zero attack errors.
• Gonzaga saw contributions from all over the court: three different Zags tallied 20 or more kills, and three posted 20 or more digs...all three leading attackers were underclassmen (two freshmen and a sophomore) while the three defenders were all juniors.
• GU averaged 2.40 blocks per set over the weekend, well above their season average of 2.02...sophomore Payton Mack led the Zags with 15 total blocks - nine against Pacific - and senior Alyse Whitaker added nine.

ABOUT THAT TRIPLE-DOUBLE...:

• Sophomore Jenna Kuehn tallied GU's first triple-double of the rally-scoring era against the Gaels Sept. 21 after 23 assists, 15 kills, and 10 digs.
• Kuehn's 15 kills were a career high, as was her .419 attack percentage...she saw just two attack errors in 31 total attacks...nine of her kills came in the final two sets to help GU rally from a 2-1 match deficit.
• The triple-double was the first in the WCC this season and just the 20th in all of Division I.
• Against Pacific two days ago, the Eugene, Ore., native was just two digs shy of another triple-double, posting 26 assists, 14 kills, and eight digs.
• Kuehn finished the weekend with 29 kills and a .400 attack percentage, both team-highs...she also leads the team in double-doubles (or better) with seven.
• She earned WCC Player of the Week honors for her strong all-around play in both matches.

NOTES ON WCC PLAY:

• With two wins last weekend, the Zags have started WCC play 2-0 for the second time in three seasons...they also beat Saint Mary's and Pacific at home in 2015...they've also opened the home conference season 2-0 in each of the last three years.
• The Zags have also posted at least seven conference victories in each of the last four seasons...last year they went 10-8 in WCC play, their first winning season against conference foes since 1994.
• Gonzaga has not swept San Francisco and Santa Clara in the Bay Area since 2014, both of which were five-set victories...the Zags downed San Francisco in San Francisco last year, but they've lost their last two matches against the Broncos in Santa Clara.
• GU also hasn't began WCC play 3-0 since 1990...the Bulldogs won four conference matches before suffering a defeat that year.

SERVING UP SOME SUCCESS:

• The Zags' service has improved over the last six matches...they've served up five or more aces in five matches, including a season-high eight Sept. 9 versus Fordham...the Zags ordered up six in both matches last weekend.
• Junior DS Marit Thorkildsen leads the team with 14 aces, and freshman OH Chapin Gray has 11...four of Thorkildsen's aces came against Fordham, tying for the individual team high.

YOUNG GUNS:

• Two freshmen are in Gonzaga's top three for kills on the season.
• OH Sarah Penner is second in the team with 115 total kills, 2.35 kills per set...she's reached double-digits in six matches, including both last weekend...against Pacific, the Sherwood, Ore., native hit .500 (11-1-21), a career best, and she pounded 19 kills in the Zags' win against Arizona State.
• Chapin Gray is third with 113 kills, 2.09 a frame...she's landed 10 or more kills five times this season and has hit at least seven in 10 matches, including each of the last eight.
• Three more freshmen have seen time on the court so far: Abby Knapp, Mary Marzo, and Gretchen Rudel...in all, the Zag freshmen have combined for 259 kills, 39.4% of the team's total.

ON THE BRONCOS:

• Santa Clara is 7-8 for the season and currently on a four-match losing streak...the Broncos are 0-3 in WCC play after falling at Pacific Tuesday in three sets.
• Michelle Gajdka is leading the Broncos with 168 kills on the season, averaging 3.23 per set...Kirsten Mead is the team's primary setter, posting 545 assists in 15 matches.
• At the net, the Broncos are led by Taylor Odom with 44 blocked attacks...Tatiana San Juan leads the defensive efforts with 208 digs, although three more have at least 100.

ON THE DONS:

• San Francisco is 3-13 for the year and currently on a seven game losing streak...their last win came against Fresno State 3-2 on September 9.
• Erica Ronda has led the Dons offensively as she leads the team with 162 kills, 2.89 a set...Erin Anthony is the team's primary setter at 464 assists.
• Defensively, Marjolijn Oskam paces the Dons with 43 total blocks for the season...four different players have tallied at least 100 digs on the year, topped by Sabrina Blackwell at 158.

LAST MATCH'S STARTING LINEUP: