Tough-luck GU still winless

The perennially tough West Coast Conference offers few chances for league volleyball teams in the process of rebuilding – like the Gonzaga Bulldogs, for instance.

The Zags went into last Friday’s home match against Portland 4-16 overall and 0-6 in the WCC. But the odds of finally breaking through for their first conference win of the year were probably as good as they are going to get, considering the Pilots were 9-10 overall and also winless in six league matches.

Still, Portland proved to be too much for a GU team struggling to find an identity after senior outside hitter Christina Davis went down with a season-ending knee injury a couple of weeks ago. The Pilots won 3-1, but took two games by 32-30 margins.

Afterward, Bulldogs coach Kip Yoshimura pointed to his team’s defense – which featured 92 digs and 27 blocks, including nine from Briawna Mueller – as the one bright spot in GU’s 11th consecutive loss.

“Our defense really played well tonight,” he said. “Jessica (Herrera) continued to be a solid back-row player for us, and Briawna is developing into a great blocker with every match we play.”

This week the Bulldogs play host to league-leading and No. 22-ranked San Diego (7-0, 14-4) on Friday and No. 19-ranked Santa Clara (5-2, 14-4) on Saturday. Both games are at 7 p.m.

– Steve Bergum, staff writer