Box Score LOS ANGELES — Gonzaga Volleyball used a balanced attack and fought off a furious Loyola Marymount charge to win in five sets (25-23, 25-20, 22-25, 23-25, 16-14) on Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, California.
 
Gonzaga (10-18, 7-10) had a 2-0 lead by taking the first two sets, but LMU (19-8, 9-7) battled back with the next two to force a fifth set. In that fifth set, there were nine ties and three lead changes, but a Kennedy Croft kill finished the match for GU.
 
Croft was one of three Zags with at double-digit kills, posting a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs. Sarah Penner had 12 kills, while Kaylie Loewen had 10. Jenna Kuehn had 24 assists and 11 digs for her own double-double, and Tiyana Hallums tied for the team lead with 11 kills.
 
Gonzaga fell behind by five points multiple times in the first set, but finished the set by outscoring the Lions 14-7 over the final stretch. Peighton De Von had five kills with no errors in the set to lead GU.
 
In the second, the Zags sprinted out to a 6-1 run and held the lead the entire way. LMU closed to within two, but a 3-0 GU run halted any other pressure from the Lions. GU had 14 kills and hit .321 in the set.
 
Down 17-12 in the third set, Gonzaga came roaring back with a 6-1 run to tie it at 18-18, but LMU scored seven of the last 11 points to take the set and stave off a sweep. It was more of the same in the fourth set from the Lions as they took the lead from the first point and forced a deciding fifth set with a 25-23 win. GU made it interesting with a late 7-0, but it wasn't enough to overcome an eight-point deficit.
 
Gonzaga will be back on the court in its regular-season finale at Portland on Tuesday. The Zags and Pilots will have the first serve at 7 p.m. with live coverage available at GoZags.com.