SPOKANE, Wash. – Gonzaga volleyball battled San Francisco to a fifth set in their final match of the 2024 season but ultimately fell 15-9 in the fifth frame on Saturday inside the Charlotte Y. Martin Centre. Despite leading 2-1 after back-to-back wins in sets two and three, the Bulldogs could not close out the win, falling 22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 9-15 on senior day.
 
Gonzaga (1-27, 0-18 WCC) found some life after a close loss in the opening set on Saturday. The Bulldogs could not close a two-point San Francisco (17-13, 10-8 WCC) lead that the Dons maintained for the majority of the frame. Three hitters recorded four kills in the opener, with Maggie Rickert leading the Zags with four on ten swings.
 
Trailing by just one heading into the media timeout of set two, Gonzaga came back to take a 15-14 lead and never trailed again before knotting the score at one each. The Bulldogs needed to fend of a final USF push, as the Dons scored five straight facing set point before GU closed out the 25-23 win. Seniors Juliette Russell and Jody Smith were the kill leaders in the second set, each notching five. Smith's line was 5-for-6 with no errors, one service ace, and one block in set two.
 
The Zags and Dons dueled once again in the third, clinging together to an eventual 23-23 tie before Gonzaga scored two straight points to close out the win. Parker Austin's set-leading fourth kill put the Bulldogs up 24-23 before a USF attack error ended the frame. Six different GU players recorded kills in set three.
 
San Francisco would not give up, as Astrid Puig swung eight kills in the fourth and two in the fifth to lead the Dons in their comeback victory. Hayden Goodman added four and two in the final two frames as USF pulled away with 25-22 and 15-9 wins to close out their season.
 
Puig's 18 kills led all hitters on Saturday. Smith led Gonzaga with 13 while Raechelle Dykstra added 12 to cap off an impressive freshman campaign. The Arizona-native recorded her fifth double-double of the season, notching 15 digs on defense. Four Bulldogs finished with double-digit digs, led by 20 from Maddie Cugino and 19 from Nia Damuni, who notched her team-leading 13th double-double of the season.
 
Gonzaga finishes the season second in the West Coast Conference in aces, averaging 1.61 per set. Autumn Larson led the conference with a 0.40 average, a number that ranks 90th in the nation.