SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga volleyball returned to the Martin Centre in style, sweeping visiting (RV) Loyola Marymount (25-21, 25-18, 25-21) in the opening match of WCC play. The Zags posted their second-best hitting percentage of the season to the tune of .297.
"We competed," Gonzaga volleyball head coach
Diane Nelson said. "We knew what we needed to do, and we went out there and executed."
Gonzaga (4-8) had four players with at least seven kills on the night, led by
Kaylie Loewen with a season-high 14 kills hitting a team-best .400.
Jenna Kuehn added 21 assists while
Tiyana Hallums finished with 17 digs on the evening.
The Bulldogs opened the first set with a 4-1 run behind a raucous crowd of 700-plus. Yet a few familiar attacking errors allowed Loyola Marymount (10-2) to close the gap, tying the set at eight-all, the fourth tie of 11 throughout the first set. With the set tied 19-all, an LMU attacking error ignited a 4-0 Bulldog run fueled by three straight kills from
Chapin Gray to give GU the 23-19 lead. Gray delivered yet another kill while Loewen connected for the final blow to give Gonzaga the 25-21 first set win.
In the second set, Gonzaga took the early 5-1 lead and never looked back, cruising to the 25-18 win. The Bulldogs hit .290 for 13 kills while their defense dictated LMU's offense. 3.0 blocks and 16 digs courtesy of the Zags forced the Lions to hit .132 with seven hitting errors.
Gonzaga picked up the first point of the third set off a service error by the Lions, and though the set was close throughout with 10 ties, the Bulldogs never trailed. With the set tied 17-all, back-to-back Bulldog kills gave the Zags some breathing room. Loewen came alive late in the set and delivered four kills in the final points, including the match-point, to help Gonzaga complete the sweep with a 25-21 third set win.
Loyola Marymount was led by Sara Kovac with 11 kills while Tess Reid added a match-high 34 assists.
Gonzaga continues play at home Saturday, Sept. 22 with a 12 p.m. match against Pepperdine in the Martin Centre.
