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Gonzaga University Athletics

huddle ball state 2
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Gonzaga Gonz 3-16,0-8 WCC
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Winner Portland UP 7-14,2-7 WCC
Gonzaga Gonz
3-16,0-8 WCC
1
Final
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Portland UP
7-14,2-7 WCC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Gonzaga Gonz 14 26 26 26 (1)
Portland UP 25 28 24 28 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Portland Battles Volleyball to 3-1 Win

Zags return home on Thursday to face Santa Clara

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Gonzaga volleyball team nearly forced a fifth set to close out the first half of West Coast Conference play at Portland, but the Pilots prevailed with a 3-1 (25-14, 28-26, 24-26, 28-26) victory inside the Chiles Center.  
 
THE ACTION
First Set – Portland, 25-14
  • Gonzaga (3-16, 0-8 West Coast Conference) took a 2-1 lead early with a Fallon Thompson kill and a Jody Smith/Maggie Rickert block. However, Portland (7-14, 2-7 WCC) responded with a 6-0 run to force a GU timeout, now leading 7-2.
  • Out of the timeout, Rickert, Smith, and Zoe Thiros sparked the Zag offense with a kill each, yet the Pilots sustained an eight point lead behind three consecutive service aces from Maui Robins, leading 13-5.
  • Portland continued to expand their lead as they crossed the 20-point mark leading 20-11. A final 5-3 Pilot run sealed the first set with a 25-14 win.
Second Set – Portland, 28-26
  • Despite an early 5-3 edge from Portland, the Zags responded with a 3-0 run to take a 6-5 lead. A Rickert kill, Smith ace, and a Nia Damuni/Thompson block fueled the run. The Pilots took an 11-10 lead, but four straight Gonzaga points gave the Zags their biggest lead of the day at 14-11. GU benefited from some defense during their latest 4-0 run, as Smith teamed up with Russell and Rickert for a pair of blocks.
  • Russell's third kill of the match, followed by another Smith block assist and Rickert's fourth kill extended the Zag lead to four, now leading 17-13. Portland came back to tie the score at 20-20, as Griselda Memia and Robins provided kills during the run to force Gonzaga to call a timeout and regroup.
  • Trailing 22-21, Rickert notched her fifth kill to knot the score once again. An attack by Portland just missed the sideline to give the Zags the 23-22 edge and force the Pilots to call their second timeout of the set.
  • Portland's Lia Hawken ended a long rally with her fifth kill to bring the set to its 12th tie at 23-23. After Gonzaga utilized its final timeout, the back-and-forth affair continued before two consecutive points from Portland gave them the 28-26 set two victory and 2-0 lead.
  • The Bulldogs and Pilots' second set battle saw 15 ties and 11 lead changes.
Third Set – Gonzaga, 26-24
  • Gonzaga raced out to a 6-1 lead in the third behind kills from Thompson, Smith, and Rickert, forcing an early Portland timeout. Trailing 8-2, the Pilots responded with a 7-1 run to bring the set to a 9-9 tie.
  • GU and UP battled once again in set three, trading blows through the halfway point (16-16). Thompson began to heat up for the Zags, rocketing a pair of kills past the Pilot front line. Rickert also pitched in for her seventh kill of the day to lead all Gonzaga hitters.
  • The set remained close as Portland neared match point with a 23-20 lead. Rickert began to heat up for the Zags, picking up her eighth kill of the match ahead of an Alisa Kim ace to put GU within one (23-22).
  • The Pilots reached match point, but Rickert went to work. Three straight kills for the freshman flipped the script for Gonzaga and put them in set point at 25-24. Russell capped the Bulldog comeback with a service ace to force the match to a fourth set.
Fourth Set – Portland, 28-26
  • Rickert picked up where she left off at the start of set four, reaching a dozen kills. Thompson and Thiros joined the party with kills of their own, before teaming up for a block to give the Zags an 8-5 lead.
  • After the Pilots brought the set to an eventual 11-11 tie, neither team expanded the lead to more than one until Gonzaga rallied off four straight points to take a 23-20 advantage, looking to force a fifth set.
  • Portland responded with a 3-0 run to tie the score at 23-23 behind a pair of kills from Taina Kaauwai. Tied 24-24, a Damuni dump put the Zags at set point, but consecutive points from the Pilots put them back in front 26-25.
  • Thiros would tie the score for the final time at 26, but two straight points from Portland secured the fourth set and 3-1 match win.
 
QUICK STATS
  • Rickert finished with a career high in kills (12), digs (6), and total blocks (2) on Saturday. The Tennessee native led the Zags in both kills and attacks on the day.
  • Thiros picked up nine kills, and Thompson added eight to help the GU offense.
  • Smith's nine blocks marks a career high and brings her season total to 51.0 total blocks.
 
UP NEXT
Gonzaga begins the second half of West Coast Conference play on Thursday, Oct. 26 against Santa Clara in the Martin Centre. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: www.GoZags.com
Twitter: @ZagVolleyball
Instagram: @zagvolleyball
Facebook: /ZagVolleyball
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