MALIBU, Calif. – The Gonzaga volleyball team fell in three sets (25-13, 25-23, 25-13) to Pepperdine Saturday afternoon at the Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, Calif. GU falls to 6-10 overall with an 0-4 mark in conference play while the Waves improved to 8-8 overall with a 4-1 mark in WCC play.
Gonzaga finished with 19 kills on the afternoon hitting .065 with 19 assists, 35 digs, 9.0 blocks and two service aces. Senior middle blocker
Payton Mack paced the Zags with eight kills off 18 swings with two errors to hit a team-high .333. Junior
Chapin Gray added five kills, four digs and a season-high four blocks, including three solo blocks, in the match.
"Keeping our middles involved allows us to do big things," head volleyball coach
Diane Nelson said. "When the pieces come together, it's good. We are learning how to build with these pieces to do good things."
After falling 25-13 in the first set, Gonzaga stepped up in the second, forcing 15 ties and seven lead changes in the second set. Though Pepperdine surged ahead 8-4 early in, GU responded with three blocks over the next four plays to tie things up 8-all. The two squads traded points over the next 22 rallies, and late in the set things were tied 19-all. The Waves scored two-straight points, but GU responded once more, tying the set 23-all. Pepperdine's Tarah Wylie finished the set with two straight kills to give Pepperdine the 25-23 set win.
GU struggled to connect in the final set, recording 11 errors on 36 swings for six kills to hit -.139. The Bulldogs were able to keep things close early in the set and were tied with the Waves 11-all until a Pepperdine kill coupled with two GU hitting errors put the waves in front 14-11. GU was unable to close the gap as the Waves cruised to the 25-13 set win and 3-0 match win.
Pepperdine was led by Hannah Frohling with a match-high 16 kills hitting .438. Shannon Scully and Wylie each added 10 kills each, while Tayah Mahi finished with 33 assists.
Gonzaga returns home to host Saint Mary's on Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. inside the Martin Centre.
