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Women's Volleyball Drops 3-2 Decision To Weber State
Aug. 29, 2009
OGDEN, Utah - The Gonzaga University women's volleyball team couldn't replicate its morning five-set success as it dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker to Weber State University in the final match of the Weber State Invitational Saturday. The Bulldogs, down 2-1, won the fourth set 25-15 to push the match to the deciding fifth set but couldn't hold onto the momentum as the Wildcats earned the 15-9 victory. Both the Zags and Wildcats closed out the tournament with 1-2 records. "I commend the entire group for hanging in to get to set five," said Gantt after the match. "After dropping two and three, they didn't give up. They fought pretty hard and got the momentum back in game four. Unfortunately we had four or five unforced errors in the fifth set, which you cannot afford in a 15 point deciding set." Gonzaga had two players finish the match in double-figure kills. Senior Michelle Boevers led the way with a match-high 17 kills, while classmate Layne Brosky added 15. Sophomore Denise Van de Mortel, junior Kelsey Bashaw and Broksy combined to dish out 49 assists as the Bulldogs closed the match with 55 kills, two more than Weber State, and a .203 hitting percentage. Van de Mortel, who had 39 of the 49 assists, also collected 11 digs to register her first double-double of the season. Defensively, Gonzaga had multiple players stand out. Senior outside hitter Emily Johnson had a team-high 14 digs in the setback and junior libero Allyson Powell was all over the court, finishing with 12 digs. Sophomore Kaprina Goodwin made a name for herself above the net, helping the Bulldogs block six Weber State attack attempts. For the tournament, Goodwin finished with 14 block assists and two solo blocks.
"I can tell you I was really please with the play of Michelle, Terran, Denise, Caitlin, who earned All-Tournament, Ally, who established herself as our libero, and Kaprina," explained Gantt. Gonzaga finished the match with the slight 55-53 edge in kills and an 11-8 advantage in blocks. Weber State held the lead in digs at 62-60 and had a huge 12-1 advantage in service aces. The Wildcats won the match despite hitting just .168 from the floor. The Wildcats were led by Chelsea Bair who collected a double-double of 15 kills and 16 digs. Bair also served up six service aces and helped block one kill attempt. "I learned this weekend that the coaching staff's expectations of our team are not that high, this group is very capable," said Gantt when reflecting on the opening two-day tournament. "We just have a bit of history to overcome. I believe the team is trying to do the right things so there is so much hope because of that. We will put ourselves in a position to win if we keep doing what we are doing." Gonzaga is back in action next Friday and Saturday when it partakes in the Northwest Challenge hosted by Portland State University. The Bulldogs opens play against the Vikings on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Weber State Invitational All-Tournament Team
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