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Gonzaga University Athletics

team photo sdsu 2023
3
Winner Eastern Wash. EWU 6-6,0-0 Big Sky
1
Gonzaga Gonz 3-8,0-0 WCC
Winner
Eastern Wash. EWU
6-6,0-0 Big Sky
3
Final
1
Gonzaga Gonz
3-8,0-0 WCC
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Eastern Wash. EWU 27 23 25 25 (3)
Gonzaga Gonz 25 25 19 15 (1)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball |

Volleyball Falls to Eastern Washington in Four Sets

Zags open West Coast Conference play on Thursday at San Francisco

SPOKANE, Wash. – Just two days after the Gonzaga volleyball team traveled to Cheney to take on Eastern Washington, both teams faced off in a rematch on Saturday night as the Eagles took home the 3-1 victory, 27-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-15 inside the Charlotte Martin Centre.
 
THE ACTION
First Set – Eastern Washington, 27-25
  • Early in the first set, Eastern Washington (6-6) led Gonzaga (3-8) 7-3 after a pair of defensive stops from Bri Gunderson, who teamed up with Sage Brustad and Erin McInnes for back-to-back blocks.
  • Trailing 10-7, Zoe Thiros picked up consecutive kills to bring the score within one. Fallon Thompson and Juliette Russell joined the onslaught, yet the Zags still trailed 14-12.
  • EWU built a 19-13 lead, but GU responded with four straight with the help of two Autumn Larson kills, just two points back once again.
  • Facing an Eagle set point at 24-19, the Bulldogs rallied for six straight points to take a 25-24 lead, flipping the script, and placing themselves in a set point of their own.
  • Eastern Washington did not fold, responding with three consecutive points to take the first set, 27-25. Thiros led the Zags on offense with five kills, with Larson chipping in four of her own.
Second Set – Gonzaga, 25-23
  • Looking to equalize, Gonzaga benefited from a variety of offense, as Thiros, Larson, and Russell each chipped in a kill to give the Bulldogs a 6-3 early advantage.
  • Nia Damuni and Jody Smith paired up for their second of three block combos on the night, and Larson followed with a service ace to give the Zags a 9-8 lead.
  • The two teams battled back-and-forth through the media timeout after a barrage of offense from both sides. EWU and GU combined for 11 straight rallies that ended in kills, with seven different players picking up kills during that stretch.
  • Back-to-back Brustad kills put the Eagles up 21-20, before a 3-0 run gave the edge back to the Zags, eventually leading to a 25-23 victory to even the score at 1-1.
Third Set – Eastern Washington, 25-19
  • Gonzaga took the momentum and raced out to a 7-3 lead early in the third, leading all the way until Eastern Washington tied things up at 13-13.
  • The Zags took the lead back on a Russell kill, but a 5-0 EWU run forced a Gonzaga timeout as the Eagles led 18-14.
  • Despite efforts to bring the score within reach, EWU used a 4-0 run to expand and take the set, 25-19.
Fourth Set – Eastern Washington, 25-15
  • Similar to Set Three, Gonzaga took an early 6-2 lead behind three kills from Thiros. Eastern Washington responded with five straight to regain a 7-6 lead.
  • GU tied the score at seven, but another EWU run, this time 6-0 gave them a 13-7 lead. Overall, the Eagles totaled a 14-2 run to open up a 16-8 lead.
  • Needing a run of their own in response, Gonzaga was able to pull within five, but the Eastern Washington lead proved too much, as the visiting squad took the event set win, 25-15 to secure the 3-1 match win.
 
UP NEXT
Gonzaga has now finished their non-conference slate for the 2023 season. The squad will travel to San Francisco to open West Coast Conference play on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Stats: www.GoZags.com
Twitter: @ZagVolleyball
Instagram: @zagvolleyball
Facebook: /ZagVolleyball
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