Spokane, Wash- Gonzaga Volleyball dropped a match at home on Saturday afternoon, falling in four sets to Saint Mary's.
The Zags secured the first set 25-20 before dropping the next three sets 25-19, 25-20, and 25-18. Despite the effort not going their way, the Zags were pushed forward by the strong support of fans on Alumni weekend, as Bulldog volleyball welcomed in over 800 fans for their largest attendance in a match since 2019.
The afternoon started off on a positive foot for the Bulldogs when Taylor Walsh scored kills on two of the last three play to close out set one. The Zags hit .290% in the first set to capture the first frame. Things started going the way of the Gaels after a series of long reviews in the second set. The Martin Centre crowd frustrated the opposition as the coaching staff for Saint Mary's received a yellow card, the second straight game that the GU crowd has amped up the intensity of the game to get an opposing coach sanctioned.
The Zags then dropped the second and third set, unable to get anything going against a strong Saint Mary's block. The Gaels were led by Tessa Schouten, who had a remarkable 11 block involvements (8 assists, 3 solo) to stifle any Gonzaga attempts at getting in an offensive rhythm. Saint Mary's was led on the offensive end by a standout showing from freshman Mya Allen, who put up 24 kills on the night. This was tied for the fifth most kills in a four set match in Saint Mary's history in the rally era.
Gu will have some positives to focus on as they prepare for two matches next week, as Sjakkie Donkers and Dani Johnson each collected 5 block assists. Donkers had 10 digs and 11 kills to complete a double double. Kate Herrick led the Zags in assists with 18 and had a team high 2 aces.
Gonzaga volleyball will look to get back on track when they take a trip to the Bay Area next week, taking on Santa Clara on Thursday and San Francisco on Saturday. Both of the previous games against these opponents went five sets, indicating these will likely be very close conference clashes as well.
