SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga volleyball team suffered its first loss of the young season Friday evening with a 3-1 (25-18, 17-25, 14-25, 21-25) loss to visiting Grand Canyon.
 
Gonzaga (3-1) was led by sophomore Kennedy Croft with 10 kills and 17 digs for her first double-double of the season, while junior Sarah Penner added a match-high tying 15 kills hitting .220. Senior Jenna Kuehn finished with 31 assists, eight digs and a block.

"We played a great team tonight," head volleyball coach Diane Nelson said. "We ran out of gas and didn't quite have our serve and pass game where we needed it."
 
Gonzaga came out hot in the first set hitting a stifling .577, finishing with 18 kills off 26 attempts with just three errors. The Zags raced out to a 9-1 lead, helped in part to two service aces from freshman Alisa Kim, and forced an early timeout by Grand Canyon. The 'Lopes responded with a 7-2 run to cut the Zags' lead to two (10-8), but GU never relinquished its early lead.  The Zags hit their way to the 25-18 first set win, paced by five kills from Croft.
 
The Bulldogs struggled to connect in the final three sets, due in part to solid blocking from the 'Lopes. Grand Canyon (4-1) finished the match with 9.0 total blocks, all of which came in the last three sets. In the second set GCU took the early lead 9-3, and Gonzaga was never able to close the gap. Grand Canyon claimed the second set 25-17 to tie the match 1-1 heading into the break.
 
Gonzaga started with the early 4-2 lead in the third, paced by two early kills from junior Chapin Gray. But midway through the set GCU tied the match 8-8--the first of five ties in the set—and eventually claimed a 12-11 lead off an attacking error by Penner. Gonzaga trailed the entirety of the set, dropping the third 25-14.
 
Grand Canyon opened the third with a 4-0 run, but a kill from Katelyn Oppio and back-to-back kills from Penner cut the early lead to one (4-3). GCU responded with a 6-1 run, but back to back kills by senior Payton Mack ignited a 7-1 Zag run to tie the set 11-all. GU was unable to secure the lead and subsequently went ice cold, giving up a 9-1 'Lopes run to trail 20-12.
 
Yet Gonzaga rebounded and put together an 8-2 run, fueled by four kills from Penner, to cut the lead to three (23-20). Yet a GU service error coupled with a kill from Grand Canyon gave the 'Lopes the 25-21 fourth set win and the 3-1 match victory.
 
Grand Canyon was led by Yeny Murillo with a match-high tying 15 kills hitting .258 while Klaire Mitchell added a match-high 35 assists with eight digs.
 
Gonzaga continues play in the Gonzaga Invitational Saturday, Sept. 7. The Bulldogs face Ball State at 11 a.m. followed by Montana at 6 p.m. inside the Martin Centre.