Match Info
- #19 San Diego at Gonzaga (WCC Match)
- Spokane, Washington
- San Diego improves to 21-4 (14-1 WCC); Gonzaga drops 13-14 (8-7 WCC)
- Attendance: 539
- Box Score
The 19th ranked San Diego Toreros rolled to their 11th straight victory, sweeping the host Gonzaga Bulldogs Saturday afternoon in Spokane. Set scores were 25-16, 25-23, and 25-11. Roxie Wiblin led the Gonzaga offense with 10 kills on an errorless 18 swings for a .556 hitting efficiency. Jayden Kennedy and Kaity Edwards each collected 9 kills while Kristen Gengenbacher dished out 33 assists.
San Diego led the match in kills 40-23, assists 37-22, digs 39-31, blocks 8-7, and aces 6-3. In addition, the Toreros out-hit the Bulldogs .307 to .071. With the win, San Diego improves to 21-4 (14-1 WCC) and maintained tied with BYU atop the conference standings. The Toreros will return to action on Thursday, November 16th to host Santa Clara.
Sarah Penner, Payton Mack and Chapin Gray each collected 5 kills for Gonzaga while Jenna Kuehn tallied 7 digs. With the loss, the Bulldogs dropped to 13-14 (8-7 WCC) and will return to action on Thursday, November 16th when they travel to face Pacific.
Press Release:
Courtesy of Gonzaga Athletics
SPOKANE, Wash.—The Gonzaga volleyball team faced its second ranked foe in as many matches Saturday, falling to No. 12 San Diego in three sets (25-16, 25-23, 25-11) inside the Martin Centre in Spokane.
“San Diego is a very offensive team, and we had to be mentally sharp in our blocking and defensive schemes,” said Gonzaga head coach Diane Nelson. “I thought our kids were prepared, they just had to make more plays. The way their offense goes, they make you play fast, and we’re getting there.”
Like versus No. 9 BYU on Nov. 9, Saturday’s second set was the closest as the Bulldogs and Toreros combined for three lead changes and seven tie scores. San Diego established a five-point lead at 14-9, but the Zags rolled that back with a 1-5 run, tying the frame at 18 on a service ace from Marit Thorkildsen. After trading the next four points, GU took a 20-21 lead as Kaylie Loewen and Chapin Gray combined for a block. The Toreros, however, re-tied the frame at 23-all before taking the final two points and the set 25-23.
Despite the loss, the Bulldogs (13-14, 8-7 WCC) remain tied for third place in the West Coast Conference standings with Pacific and Loyola Marymount.
After stopping eight Torero attacks Saturday, including four alone in the second set, Gonzaga out-blocked San Diego 8.0-7.0. Loewen was involved in half of those blocks, and Payton Mack assisted on three more. Mack, Gray, and Sarah Penner each landed five kills on the day, and juniors Jenna Kuehn and Tiyana Hallums paced the defense with seven digs apiece. Thirteen different Zags took the floor for Gonzaga throughout the match.
Gonzaga will look to keep hold of third place with a regular season-ending stretch of three matches in five days. That begins with a showdown against the Tigers on Thursday, Nov. 16 in Stockton, Calif. GU downed Pacific in five sets earlier in the year in Spokane.
Press Release:
Courtesy of San Diego Athletics
SPOKANE, Wash. – The No. 12 Torero volleyball team (21-4, 14-1) swept Gonzaga on the road Saturday afternoon for their 11th straight win. The 25-16, 25-23, 25-11 win was USD’s 17th sweep of the year and improved their road record to 10-1.
Roxie Wiblin had a team-high 10 kills on a .556 hitting percentage while also contributing eight digs. Jayden Kennedy and Kaity Edwards chipped in nine kills each. Kristen Gengenbacher posted 33 assists and Lizzy Tardieu had a game-high nine digs. The Toreros hit .307 as a team and held the Bulldogs to a .071 clip.
The Toreros hit .467 in the first set and used an 8-2 run to overcome an early deficit. The second set was the closest of the afternoon and saw the Bulldogs recover from being down five points (14-9) to tie the set at 19-19. The teams traded points up until a 23-23 tie and then the Toreros won the final two points, highlighted by a set-clinching kill from Addie Picha.
The Toreros cruised in the third and final set, needing just nine kills due to Gonzaga committing 12 errors and posting a -.258 hitting percentage.
USD has three more regular season games, all of which are at home. Next up Is Santa Clara Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
Leave a Reply