SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga volleyball team hosts San Francisco and Santa Clara in home matches this week, with the Dons visiting Thursday, Nov. 14 (5 p.m.) and the Broncos on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 12 p.m., inside the Martin Centre.
 
GONZAGA (9-16, 3-10 WCC) vs. SAN FRANCISCO (6-18, 2-11 WCC)
NOV. 14 | 5 P.M. | SPOKANE, WASH. | CHARLOTTE Y. MARTIN CENTRE
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
GONZAGA (9-16, 3-10 WCC) vs. SANTA CLARA (16-10, 6-7 WCC)
NOV. 16 | 12 P.M. | SPOKANE, WASH. | CHARLOTTE Y. MARTIN CENTRE
LIVE VIDEO | LIVE STATS
 
SERIES REVIEW
vs. San Francisco
OVERALL: 37-29 | HOME: 22-11 | AWAY: 15-18 | STREAK: USF, Won 1
This series dates back to 1986 when the two teams first met at a tournament hosted by USF. Gonzaga won the first meeting and dominated the first 12 years of the series winning 19 of the first 25 meetings. The Bulldogs have also controlled the last six years of the series, losing just two matches since 2012.
 
vs. Santa Clara
OVERALL: 14-51 | HOME: 7-26 | AWAY: 7-25 | STREAK: Santa Clara, Won 1
The series dates back to 1987 when the two teams first met in WCC play. SCU claimed the first four meetings, but GU countered with four-straight wins, its longest streak of the series, from 1989-90. The Zags have won two-straight against the Broncos and four of the last seven meetings. Seven of the Bulldogs' 14 total wins in the series have come since the 2013 season.
 
SCOUTING THE DONS:
- San Francisco carries a 6-18 overall record with a 2-11 mark in WCC play. Currently, USF is on a two-match skid and have lost four of the last five matches. The Dons lone win in the last five matches was a 3-0 win over Santa Clara on Nov. 1.
- As a squad, USF averages 12.1 kills per set hitting .180 to go along with 11.3 assists per set and 1.2 aces per set.
- Kathya Garcia leads the attack with a 3.35 per set average hitting .192. Valeria Alegrias Cambindo average 2.85 kills per set, but she has only seen action in half of the Dons' sets. Emily Zinger adds 2.67 kills per set hitting .177, while Ally Wada leads the Dons in passing with 8.93 assists per set.
- Defensively, San Francisco averages 15.4 digs per set and an even 2.0 blocks per set.
- Four Dons average at least 2.0 digs per set, but Anna Dalla Vecchia leads the effort with 4.19 digs per set. At the net, Orsula Staka and Katie Wagstaff lead the defensive effort with 0.99 and 0.94 blocks per set, respectively.
- In the last meeting, Gonzaga fell at USF in five sets; the match produced multiple career highs.
- Kennedy Croft finished with a career-high 20 kills; Sarah Penner added a career-high 27 digs. Jenna Kuehn shattered her previous career high, finishing with 49; Julia Talarico also posted a new career-high, finishing with 27 digs.
 
ROSTER REPORT ON SANTA CLARA
- Santa Clara carries a 16-10 overall record with a 6-7 mark in WCC play.
- Currently the Broncos average 12.5 kills per set hitting .222 to go along with 11.5 assists per set and 1.5 aces per set.
- Julia Sangiacomo leads the attack with 3.35 kills per set hitting .197; Allison Kantor ranks second with 2.92 kills per set hitting .236.
- Two Broncos average at least five assists per set, led by Michelle Shaffer with 5.31; Liliana Light ranks second with 5.16. Shaffer also adds 0.43 aces per set with 42 aces on the season.
- Defensively, SCU averages 14.4 digs per set and 2.6 blocks per set.
- Taylor Odom leads the effort at the net with 1.62 blocks per set, good for second in the country. Alexa Dreyer ranks second with 0.93 blocks per set, while Gretchen Reinert leads the team in digs with 3.58 per set.
- In the last meeting, the Zags fell at SCU in three sets. Nine Zags posted at least one kill in the match, led by Sarah Penner and Payton Mack with five each. Jenna Kuehn added 20 assists, nine digs and three kills in the loss.
 
BLOCK CITY
Gonzaga's 18.0 blocks at Pacific ranked tied for ninth for blocks in a five-set match. It is also the first time since 2015 that the Bulldogs have recorded 18.0 or more blocks in a single match. The next closest tally was 17.0 blocks against Saint Mary's on Nov. 10, 2018.
 
MOVING ON UP
Kennedy Croft recorded five service aces over the weekend, bringing her single-season total to 37. Croft now ranks second in program history during the rally scoring era in aces in a single season. Savannah Blinn holds the rally scoring record with 42 aces in single season, a feat she accomplished during the 2012 season.