BOISE, Idaho – Trailing 2-0 to Cal State Bakersfield, the Gonzaga volleyball team denied the Roadrunners of a sweep before nearly pushing a fifth set Saturday morning at the Boise State Classic inside Bronco Gym. Bakersfield used an 8-0 run to fuel a fourth-set victory and seal the 3-1 match win, cutting the Bulldog comeback short.
 
CSU Bakersfield (5-4) defeated Gonzaga (1-6) 25-22 in a back-and-forth first set that saw six ties. Jody Smith and Hayley Ogden combined for eight GU kills while hitting at a .538 clip. However, the Bakersfield offense was already clicking as a whole, combining for a .375 hitting percentage while seven different Roadrunners collected at least one kill.
 
The second set proved to be even more of a battle, as a trailing Bakersfield pushed Gonzaga past 25 points before flipping the score and earning the 29-27 win. Once again, seven different Roadrunners notched kills in the win, led by Druegan Davis and Leardan Lee who each recorded three. Ogden added four more kills in the third for Gonzaga while fellow freshman Taylor Walsh went errorless with a 4-for-5 kill clip.
 
Gonzaga was finally able to put themselves on the board in the third despite a late push from Bakersfield. Leading 24-18, the Roadrunners were in the middle of a 3-0 run and eyed their fourth straight point before a successful GU challenge cut the rally short and gave them a 25-21 win. Raechelle Dysktra was the kill leader in the third, posting five.
 
The Zags went right back to work in the fourth as they looked to push the match to a fifth set. Opening a 10-3 lead behind a 5-0 run, Gonzaga was about to pull away before Bakersfield began chipping away at the lead. The set was brought to an eventual 16-16 tie as yet another battle ensued. However, CSUB would go on to break a 20-20 tie with a 5-1 run that sealed the match win.
 
Ogden was the match leader Saturday morning with 13 kills as a quartette of Gonzaga freshman led in the box score. Dykstra and Walsh each picked up nine kills, while Maddie Cugino served up five aces in the match. In total, the Zags' 15 service aces marked a new program record in the rally-scoring era.
 
UP NEXT
The Zags will wrap up their weekend on Sunday against tournament-host Boise State at 11 a.m. PT.