LOS ANGELES – The Gonzaga volleyball team fell 3-1 (25-18, 21-25, 25-20, 25-22) at No. 11 UCLA in the Bulldogs season-opener Saturday afternoon at the John Wooden Center.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Sarah Penner recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs hitting .243. Sophomore setter Jenna Kuehn also added a double-double with a career-high 36 assists to go along with 11 digs.
 
"We established our offense with solid passing, and many players can score for us," Gonzaga volleyball head coach Diane Nelson said. "When we manage our errors, we can play with anyone."
 
UCLA (1-0) out-hit Gonzaga (0-1), connecting on 54 kills at a .302 clip compared to the Zags' 49 kills at .193. After dropping the first set 25-18, the Zags surged ahead in the second set behind three services aces from redshirt sophomore Katelyn Oppio and three kills from junior Payton Mack. The Bulldogs held the Bruins to seven kills on .136 and prevailed for the 25-21 to tie the match 1-1.
 
Coming out of the break, Gonzaga connected for 30 kills in the third and fourth sets, but 12 hitting errors plagued the Bulldogs. The Bruins capitalized on Gonzaga's errors, registering 7.0 of their total 9.0 team blocks in the final two sets.
 
Gonzaga returns to the court Sunday, Aug. 26 at 1 p.m. against the Bruins at the John Wooden Center in Los Angeles.