SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga volleyball fell to San Diego State in straight sets on Friday night inside the Martin Centre. The Zags battled hard but came up just short in the first two sets, before the visiting Aztecs completed the sweep in the third, winning 25-23, 25-22, 25-17.
THE ACTION
First Set – San Diego State, 25-23
- Jody Smith fueled Gonzaga (3-7) early in the first, picking up a kill on offense and a solo block on defense as GU quickly led 4-2. San Diego State (4-6) promptly responded with a 4-0 run to regain an eventual 7-5 advantage.
- A Zoe Thiros block and a Smith service ace brought the score back to a tie, but a 3-0 Aztec run put SDSU up 10-7.
- San Diego State found themselves up 19-14, but another Smith block and an Alisa Kim ace carried a 5-0 Zag run to knot the score at 19 apiece.
- SDSU grabbed another lead late in the first, leading 22-20. Despite a barrage of Fallon Thompson kills, San Diego State's lead would hold to take the set 25-23.
Second Set – San Diego State, 25-22
- The Aztecs took an early 7-3 lead in Set Two, with Julia Haynie and Madison Corf picking up a kill each.
- Thiros and Thompson combined for three kills as Gonzaga brought the set to a 10-10 tie. Another SDSU response led to a 9-2 run, capped by a stand at the net by Haynie and Mikela Labno and put the Aztecs up 19-12.
- Trailing 22-15, Juliette Russell propelled a 5-0 GU run to bring the score to within two. San Diego State reached set point at 24-20, but Gonzaga battled. A Russell-Thompson block, followed by a Russell kill brought the Zags to within two once more, but a final kill from Haynie cut the GU rally short and gave SDSU the second set and 2-0 lead.
Third Set – San Diego State, 25-17
- Smith began the third set similar to the first, picking up an early kill and solo block as GU led 3-2.
- SDSU responded to take an 11-10 lead, but back-to-back Viktoriya Ivanova aces and a Smith-Russell block put Gonzaga back up 13-11.
- After calling a timeout to regroup, the Aztecs dropped four straight points to regain a 15-13 lead, turning the tables and forcing GU to take a timeout.
- The score remained close but not for long. Leading 18-16 San Diego State rode a 7-1 run to close out the third set and pick up a road sweep over Gonzaga.
UP NEXT
The Zags wrap up their second home tournament of the 2023 season on Saturday at 6 p.m. as they take on the Eastern Washington Eagles.
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