SPOKANE, Wash. – Portland volleyball used a final push in the third set to complete the sweep over Gonzaga on Saturday inside the Charlotte Y. Martin Centre. The Pilots improved to 2-2 in West Coast Conference play with a 25-21, 25-20, 25-23 win after outlasting the Bulldogs in three close sets.
 
Portland (9-5, 2-2 WCC) never trailed in the opening set and led by as many as eight despite the back-and-forth affair. Elin Larsson and Maui Robins each recorded five kills, while Taina Kaauwai added four as the Pilots hit an even .400 in the first. Autumn Larson had four kills for Gonzaga (1-12, 0-3 WCC) in set one, hitting at a .500 clip while adding a block on defense.
 
Set two was a similar story for Portland, who took a 2-0 lead after a 25-20 win behind another four kills from Robins and Kaauwai. The Pilots broke a 14-14 tie with an 8-0 run that put the score out of reach for the Bulldogs.
 
GU took the early lead in the third and were able to hang on to it through the midway point, but Portland would not be denied the sweep. After breaking a 16-16 tie with a kill from Robins, Portland would not surrender the lead again despite just a two-point win. Robins' best performance came in the final set, notching eight kills on ten error-less attempts.
 
Maggie Rickert was the lone Zag in double figures on Saturday, posting ten kills. Larson finished the day with eight while freshmen Raechelle Dykstra and Taylor Walsh combined for 11. Nia Damuni had 26 assists and ten digs to mark her second straight double-double of assists and digs.
 
UP NEXT
Gonzaga will hit the road for the next three matches beginning Thursday at Saint Mary's. They will make a stop in Pacific on Oct. 12 before wrapping up their three-match road trip at San Francisco on Oct. 17.