PORTLAND, Ore. — Gonzaga volleyball (4-8, 0-1) fell on the road to Portland in straight sets (20-25, 17-25, 19-25) in its West Coast Conference opener Saturday, despite sustained offensive pressure from the Bulldogs that kept each set close until late pushes by the  Pilots.
UP's (4-5, 1-0) win snaps a three-game losing streak to the Zags dating back to 2019. The last three times the two teams have faced, it's been in the Chiles Center.
Junior outsides McKenna Marshall and Kennedy Croft led GU in kills with eight and seven, respectively, and the Zags picked up six service aces — led by two apiece from Marshall and Zoe Thiros, who added a team-high two blocks to go with ive kills of her own. Sophomore setter Keau Kamake'eaina generated 22 of GU's 24 assists, and tied with Marshall for the most digs with five.
The Zags recorded double-digit kills and a game-high 54% (13-24) on sideouts in the first and third sets, keeping it close with the Pilots for a total of 15 ties and 10 lead changes. Russell paced GU in the first set with four kills, and Marshall added four of her own in the second along with a service ace in each set. Croft led the way for GU in a decisive third set with four more kills, with Marshall, Russell and Thiros all recording multiple kills for a game-high 12. 

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The Zags will look for their first conference win in a road trip to California where they'll face Loyola Marymount at 7 p.m. Tuesday before returning to the Martin Centre to play host to Saint Mary's at 6 p.m. Thursday. Check GoZags.com and follow @ZagVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram fro up-to-date game time information, coverage and more.