PORTLAND, Ore. — In its final game of the Les Schwab Rose City Showdown against host Portland State on Sunday, Gonzaga volleyball took control in each set but was downed in four (23-25, 25-18, 23-25, 17-25) when late rallies from the Vikings gave them wins in each of the final two sets after the Zags tied it up with a dominant second.

Kennedy Croft  and McKenna Marshall posted double-doubles in kills and digs, with Marshall picking up team-highs with 14 kills and 20 digs and Croft getting 13 and 16, respectively. Cara McKenzie also reached double-digit kills, with 12 of her own.
Seven Zags combined for a total of 14 blocks, led by Juliette Russell (four), Grace Ehler (three) and Marshall, Croft and McKenzie with two apiece. Brynn Chandler led GU in assists with 33, adding two service aces to match Marshall for the team lead.
GU took control early in the first with a pair of runs, including a 4-0 stretch capped by a kill from Croft that forced PSU into a timeout with a 10-5 score. That lead grew to 14-7 after an ace from Croft and another kill from Marshall, but PSU surged late in the set to tie at 23-all and scored the final two points of the set to nullify the Zags' advantage.

The Zags responded by posting game-highs in kills (16), hitting percentage (.333) and sideout average (63%) in the second, led by six kills on nine attempts from McKenzie. GU took control after a 4-0 run that included two kills from Croft to build up to a 17-10 lead, stretching that lead to 22-18 after Marshall's sixth kill of the day. Marshall and Chandler finished off the set with another kill apiece to tie the match at one-all.

The score was tied three times apiece in both of the final two sets, with Portland State hitting its best percentage of the game over those two for the closeout. McKenzie, Marshall and Croft combined for 12 of the Zags' 13 kills in the third and led by as much as seven (22-15), but another PSU comeback and razor-thin 25-23 set win gave the Vikings a set lead they wouldn't relinquish while connecting on a game-high 17 kills in the fourth for the match win.

Up Next
The Zags' West Coast Conference slate begins with another trip to the Rose City next weekend, with GU set to face the Portland PIlots Sep. 25 at noon at UP's Chiles Center. Check GoZags.com for up-to-date game time information, live stats, video streaming and more.