SPOKANE, Wash. — Facing their third nationally-ranked opponent in their last six games, Gonzaga volleyball (6-14, 2-7 WCC) fell to No. 25 Pepperdine (14-2, 6-1) in straight sets (19-25, 17-25, 16-25) in the Martin Centre Thursday evening despite a valiant effort at the net led by Cara McKenzie.

The Zags outblocked Pepperdine 13-9 and generated twice as many block assists in the three-set affair, with McKenzie leading the game with five. McKenzie picked up steam as the game advanced, connecting on seven of her team-high 10 kills in the final two sets to lead the Zags in that category. Juliette Russell was next with eight kills of her own, followed by Kennedy Croft with five.

Keau Kamake'eaina generated all 27 of the Zags' assists at setter, and Viktoriya Ivanova was the only GU player to reach double-digit digs with 15.

Croft and Grace Ehler paced the Bulldogs in a competitive first set with three kills apiece, with the Bulldogs taking an early 3-1 lead and battling through the rest of the set until a late push from the Waves undid their progress. 

Pepperdine's offense clicked in the second on the way to a 25-17 final, notching a .333 hitting average with 14 kills. The Waves took an 11-5 lead at the onset and never let GU back in, weathering a pair of 3-0 runs from GU spurred by three attack errors and kills from McKenzie, Marshall and Russell for another set win. In a decisive third, the Waves kept rolling to the tune of a game-high 18 kills and .348 hitting average despite a set-leading five kills from McKenzie, finishing out the match with a 25-16 win.

Up Next

The Zags' homestand continues against Loyola Marymount at the Martin Centre on Saturday at noon.