Vandals Put Lock On Gu, Win In Three

Someone might want to send a maintenance man into Martin Centre this morning, someone who knows the digital combination to the door outside Gonzaga University volleyball team’s dressing room.

Don’t be alarmed if the campus employee finds the players, still in uniform, still disgusted and still hanging on to every word spoken by their frustrated coach Sean Madden after Tuesday night’s 15-7, 15-8, 15-9 drubbing by the University of Idaho.

The match took 90 minutes. The closed-door lecture was taking 40 minutes … and counting.

“There a few things we have to figure out,” said Gonzaga assistant coach Eva Windlin, the designated spokesperson who slipped out of the dressing room for a brief moment.

While on the outside of Fort Madden, Windlin was handed a copy of the match’s statistics.

More fodder for the home team’s rage.

The Vandals, who improved to 16-2, had 11 team blocks to Gonzaga’s five.

Gonzaga, 8-13 on the season and two victories ahead of the entire 1995 campaign, committed 34 errors to Idaho’s 14.

The Vandals hit .250 (42 kills in 112 attempts). GU hit .098 (49 of 153.)

It was the 10th consecutive time the Vandals have defeated the Bulldogs, including their meeting earlier this year in Moscow in a match that also lasted three games. Idaho holds a 14-8 edge in the series.

This match started out even as both teams exchanged sideouts for the first 1-1/2 rotations. But Idaho turned a 2-2 tie into a 9-2 lead while Gonzaga was in the midst of committing 10 errors for the game and hitting .000. This, coming after hitting an impressive .311 in the first games of its last four matches entering the non-conference game.

“We served the ball well and we blocked well today,” UI coach Tom Hilbert said. “Those are the first two things you have to do to score points.”

Louissa Kawulok led the Vandals with eight blocks. Jeri Hymas contributed a team-high 12 kills. Three Vandals players had nine digs each.

Gonzaga’s Jennifer Kubista had 16 kills and 12 digs. It was her sixth consecutive double-double.

“I think GU played pretty well tonight,” Hilbert said.

Presumedly that opinion wasn’t shared by Madden.

, DataTimes