SPOKANE, Wash. – In front of the largest Martin Centre crowd since 2019, Gonzaga volleyball roared back from nine-point deficit in a thrilling opening set before Washington State hung on for the 25-22 win. The Cougars used that momentum to eventually complete the 3-0 sweep over the Zags, 25-22, 25-16, 25-15.
 
There were 781 fans in attendance on Wednesday evening, marking the largest attendance inside the Martin Centre since a record-breaking 1,657 against BYU on Sept. 26, 2019.
 
Washington State (15-8, 10-4 WCC) led 21-12 late in the first before Gonzaga (1-23, 0-14 WCC) came to life. A 10-2 run by the Bulldogs forced WSU to call both of their timeouts, the Cougars suddenly leading by just one (23-22). Out of the second break, Washington State put out the GU flame with kills from Jaden Walz and Katy Ryan to end the threat on the spot.
 
What started out as a battle in set two quickly got out of hand, with Washington State breaking a 7-7 tie on their way to a 25-16 win. Gonzaga closed the gap to just two, but WSU responded to break things open once again. Six different Cougars recorded kills in each of the firs two sets, but Maggie Rickert was the leader in the second with four of her own.
 
After surrendering the first point of the third set, Washington State used a 9-0 run to pull ahead for the final time on Wednesday. The Cougars would hold steady for a ten-point win to seal the sweep and improve to 15-8 and 10-4 in WCC play. Ryan finished with a match-leading 13 kills as the only hitter in double figures.
 
Rickert finished with nine kills to lead Gonzaga. Raechelle Dykstra, Hayley Ogden, and Autumn Larson each recorded four, with Dykstra adding eight digs on defense.
 
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The Zags are off until Nov. 21 when they travel to San Diego for the final stretch of the 2024 season. GU will then face Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara on the road before hosting San Francisco on Nov. 30 to close out the year.