Box Score

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Thursday night's match at Santa Clara offered a bit of déjà vu for Gonzaga volleyball as the Bulldogs won their third straight five-setter (25-19, 24-26, 25-18, 18-25, 16-14) and advanced to 3-0 in West Coast Conference play.

"This team doesn't give up," said Gonzaga head coach Diane Nelson. "Someone always steps up and makes a play they weren't making earlier, and that triggers a domino effect. We happened to get three of those in a row at the end."

The Zags put away Santa Clara in the fifth set, withstanding a late five-point run from the Broncos and turning away one match point. Down 13-14, Sarah Penner and Alyse Whitaker teamed up for a block to tie the set. Then, Jenna Kuehn and Chapin Gray landed back-to-back kills to clinch the win, Gonzaga's fourth five-set victory of the season and third in as many conference matches.

Over the last two years, the Zags have gone 10-3 in five-setters.

The Zags posted a .275 attack percentage as a team Thursday, out-hitting Santa Clara by 45 points. Penner led the way with 15 kills - six of those in the fifth set alone - and two more Zags reached double-digits. Most of the other stat categories were either close or tied; both teams blocked 8.0 attacks apiece, and the Broncos out-dug the Zags 79-75 and tallied one more service ace at 8-7.

Two Zags - Kuehn and Faith Smith - tallied double-doubles. Kuehn was one kill away from a triple-double with 25 assists, 14 digs, and nine kills. Smith led the team with 26 assists and 18 digs, equaling a career high.

This is the first time since 1990 that the Bulldogs (8-7 overall) have started WCC play 3-0. They look to equal that year's 4-0 start to conference action on Saturday, Sept. 30, at San Francisco. That contest will begin at noon inside War Memorial Gym on the Hilltop.