SPOKANE, Wash- Gonzaga Volleyball (13-11, 6-7) fell to the Washington State Cougars (15-8, 9-4) in four sets on Wednesday as the Cougars offense hit a huge .407%.
The Zags dropped the first set 25-21 before rallying to capture the second set 25-19, but WSU took the final two frames with secure scorelines of 25-15 and 25-18. The Zags were buoyed by playing in front of a rowdy crowd of over a thousand fans, with a total set of 1,034 supporters on hand for the in state rivalry game.
The Cougars set a precedent for the match when they scored four blocks in the first ten points of the match to jump out to a quick lead. The first set was eventually tied at 19 each after a back and forth affair that included 11 ties, but Washington State surged in front to capture the first lead thanks to an eight to two run. The Zags had more Kills in the first set, leading 17-14, but the Washington State attack was more accurate and gave away less points on errors, hitting .387%.
 Gonzaga responded by opening the second set on a 7-0 run, a sequence that was powered by a remarkable four aces by Taylor Walsh in that stretch. Walsh ended the match with five aces. This ties for sixth most in a single match by a player in the rally scoring era, although Walsh had also already tied for the second most in a match earlier this season with six aces.
The Zags were unable to respond to a tremendous offensive output from WSU in the third frame, as the Cougs hit a remarkable .520% in the set. For reference, if Washington State had hit that percentage over an entire match they would have finished as the second highest hitting percentage ever in a match.
Despite an attempted rally in the fourth, the Zags fell behind thanks to the Cougars only giving up two total attack errors for the second set in a row. Sjakkie Donkers hit a team high 15 kills and Dani Johnson hit a huge .615 while collecting 8 kills. Washington State's efficient night was led by a collective team effort, as they had three different players score double digit kills.
The Zags will look to get back on track on Saturday when they travel to Moraga to take on Saint Mary's again. The final home game of the season will be on November 22nd, when Gonzaga will honor seniors prior to the match against Portland.
