LOS ANGELES – The Gonzaga volleyball team dropped another 3-1 decision (25-19, 25-27, 26-24, 25-18) to No. 11 UCLA Sunday afternoon at the John Wooden Center. Despite a strong defensive effort with 14.0 team blocks, the Bulldogs were plagued with 29 hitting errors making way for the Bruins to claim their second-straight win.
 
"We were not stubborn enough," Gonzaga volleyball head coach Diane Nelson said. "Against solid teams, we have to keep our composure better and stick with what we know. It's early in the season, and we have got to learn from this."
 
Gonzaga (0-2) struggled to convert at the net to open the match, hitting -.032 with nine hitting errors, but 4.0 team blocks and four kills from sophomore Chapin Gray kept UCLA (2-0) from running away in the first set. A kill from sophomore Sarah Penner late in the set brought the Bulldogs within one, 18-17, but the Bruins put together a 7-2 run to close the set and earn the 25-19 win.
 
The Bulldogs cleaned up their hitting in the second set, connecting for 12 kills with four errors off 50 attempts to hit .160. Gonzaga forced eight hitting errors on the Bruins in the second, capitalizing on two of those hitting errors to secure the win in the final plays of the set. With the second set tied 25-all, UCLA mishit while Penner connected on the ensuing play for the set-point kill to give GU the 27-25 second-set win.
 
In the final two sets, the Bulldogs were solid defensively with 42 total digs and 8.0 blocks, and Gonzaga forced 12 hitting errors on the Bruins. Yet five Bulldogs service errors and 16 hitting errors made the difference in the final two sets. In the third set, a kill by sophomore Jenna Kuehn gave the Bulldogs a 24-21 advantage, but two GU hitting errors­ and three kills by UCLA capped a 5-0 run for the Bruins to claim the third set, 26-24. In the opening plays of fourth set, the Bruins capitalized on multiple Gonzaga hitting errors to gain a quick 13-8 advantage, and the Zags were unable to close the gap as the Bruins cruised to the 25-18 fourth-set win.
 
Gray led the Bulldogs with 16 kills to go along with five digs and three blocks while Penner added double-digit kills with 12 in addition to nine digs. Kuehn added her second consecutive double-double with 36 assists and a career-high 22 digs, while Tiyana Hallums added 18 digs.
 
The Bruins were led by Jenny Mosser with a match-high 19 kills to go along with 14 digs while Mac May added 17 kills hitting at a .349 clip.
 
Gonzaga is back in action Aug. 31 against Iowa State in the first match of the Montana Tournament, hosted by Montana in Missoula, Mont.