SPOKANE, Wash.- Despite a gritty effort to capture the fourth set and force an overtime, Gonzaga Volleyball fell in five sets against Santa Clara on Thursday night.
The Zags locked down the first set behind a huge run that was powered by three consecutive service aces from Autumn Larson. Both teams had a rough time with services, as both teams had double the amount of service errors as aces. The Zags hit a lull after winning the first, dropping the second set behind a strong effort from Santa Clara's Morgan Hayes, who had a team leading 16 kills on a remarkable .464 hitting percentage.
The Zags dropped the third as the Broncos utilized their advantage in net battles, doubling the blocks of the Zags with 14 on the night. The Bulldogs fought valiantly on a night in which they battled several absences, and several Zags rose to the occasion to force the match to extra sets. Kelly McAuley set a new career high with 17 kills, and Carina Zaldivar led the Zags with 12 digs, the second highest mark in her career. Despite leading in kills and assists, the Zags fell short in the match thanks to a stout Bronco defense, which was led by libero Lexi Trapani's 20 digs.
Nia Damuni especially impressed today, crossing 2,000 career assists after  tallying another double-double with 38 assists and 11 digs. Damuni is one of only six Zags to have crossed over 2,000 assists in the rally scoring era. She currently sits less than 55 assists away from moving into fifth place all time in the career assists as a Zag in the rally scoring era.
The Bulldogs will look to build on their nonconference success when they welcome their second WCC opponent of the week to Spokane on Saturday, as they take on San Francisco at noon on the 27th.
