LOS ANGELES – The Gonzaga volleyball team fell in three sets (25-20, 25-16, 25-15) to Pepperdine Thursday evening at the John Wooden Center on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles.
 
Gonzaga (9-18, 6-10 WCC) was led by Chapin Gray with nine kills hitting .348 while Kennedy Croft led the Zags with a team-high 12 digs. Both Faith Smith and Jenna Kuehn finished with double-figure assists with 15 and 13, respectively.
 
In the first set, neither team led by more than four points, and the set featured seven ties and two lead changes. The Zags finished with 11 kills hitting .229 as a squad as compared to Pepperdine's 14 kills hitting .195. With the set tied 19-all, Pepperdine recorded back-to-back points for a two-point cushion, 21-19. The Waves connected for three kills in the final plays to cement the 25-20 set win.
 
In the second and third sets GU struggled to connect, combining for 20 kills with 11 errors hitting at a .157 clip. Pepperdine terminated above .400 in both sets, committing five errors in the final two sets combined. Additionally, the Waves dug half of Gonzaga's attempts for 35 total digs to the Bulldogs' 22 digs. The Waves took the second set 25-16 and the third 25-15.
 
"We had opportunities tonight to get ahead, but they did a better job in scrappy situations," head volleyball coach Diane Nelson said. "It was whoever could pass and run their offense. Pepperdine just played at a higher level tonight."
 
Gonzaga continues play on the road as it travels to Loyola Marymount Saturday, Nov. 17. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m.