SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga volleyball team defeated visiting Saint Mary's in four sets Sunday afternoon to win its home-opener for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Zags bested the Gaels 19-25, 25-18, 28-26 and 25-21 to improve to 2-3 overall and in West Coast Conference play.
 
"It feels cozy, familiar…honestly it's just awesome [to be back in the Martin Centre]," Head Coach Diane Nelson said. "It's awesome. It's great for the kids and great on so many levels after having two back-to-back road matches."
 
Gonzaga finished with three players with double-figure kills, led by Sarah Penner and Chapin Gray with 12 kills each. Kennedy Croft added 10 kills and 10 digs, while Alyssa Hughes was just shy of double-figures, finishing with nine kills off 14 swings with just one error to hit a team-leading .571. Tia Andaya added a match-high 39 assists to go along with a match-high 17 digs for her second double-double of the season.
 
As a team, Gonzaga finished with 51 kills hitting .246 for the match with 45 assists, 57 digs and 9.0 blocks. The Zags added 10 service aces for the match, which ties for eighth all-time for aces in a match during the rally scoring era. Saint Mary's (1-6) finished with 50 kills hitting .230 with 46 assists, 59 digs, 8.0 block and seven service aces.
 
The Bulldogs had a slow start to the match, falling behind 10-6 after three-straight Gaels' points. A kill from Croft ended the run, but a service error on the ensuing play gave the Gaels another four-point cushion. Saint Mary's maintained at least a two-point lead at 16-14 until five unanswered points put SMC ahead by seven (21-14). The Zags were unable to close the gap, giving the Gaels the 25-19 set win.
 
Gonzaga responded in the second set, hitting a sizzling .423 from the floor for 13 kills. Penner, who entered the match for the first time in the second set, finished with five kills off eight attempts with no errors to lead the Zags, hitting at a .625 clip. Hughes started things off in the second as Andaya found the middle for back-to-back kills, while Croft followed it up with a service ace. Two errors on the Gaels found GU up 5-0 early. The Bulldogs never relinquished the lead, extending their advantage to as many as eight points, cruising to the 25-18 second set victory to tie the match 1-1.
 
"We had to serve tougher, and slowing down their outside hitters was a big adjustment in the second set," Nelson said. "They run a faster ball than most teams we've seen."
 
The third set was much closer, with 11 tied scores and three lead changes, and Gonzaga's hitting cooled off as the Zags hit .186 for the set for 16 kills. The Bulldogs limited SMC to eight kills hitting .111 while registering 20 digs in the set. With the set tied 23-all, a GU service error gave the Gaels a try for set point, but a kill from Penner on the ensuing play tied the match once more at 24. Penner followed it up with another kill to give the Zags a try for set point, but another Zag service error tied the set at 25. Gonzaga had two more attempts to secure the set point, finally securing it off an attacking error from SMC's Elena Baka to win 28-26.
 
Penner continued her offensive tear in the fourth, opening with set with another kill to give GU the early advantage. The Zags never trailed in the final set, hitting .237 for the stanza while limiting SMC to .196 hitting to claim the 25-21 set win and 3-1 match win.
 
"[Things] felt really timid and almost rushed in the first set," Andaya said. "I think the biggest adjustment that we all made was just settling in to our roles, doing our jobs and just finding our flow. Really just finding that calm, consistent energy."
 
Saint Mary's was led by Baka with 13 kills hitting .189 to go along with 13 digs while Hawley Harrer finished with 12 kills hitting .423 and 13 digs. Ella Sandt finished with a team-high 32 assists.
 
Gonzaga returns to play Monday, Feb. 15 against Saint Mary's at 1 p.m. inside the Martin Centre. For up-to-date match information, visit GoZags.com