Gonzaga fends off Portland to finish .500 in WCC

Sarah Penner totaled 26 kills and 19 digs and Faith Smith delivered 57 assists with 15 digs to propel the Gonzaga Bulldogs (14-16, 9-9) to a hard-fought 25-17, 21-25, 20-25, 25-22, 15-12 victory over the visiting Portland Pilots in a West Coast Conference regular-season finale on Monday.

Chapin Gray had 14 kills and Jenna Kuehn added 10 kills and 15 digs for the Bulldogs, who finish at .500 in conference play and could tie for fourth place depending what happens on Thursday as the rest of conference play concludes.

Loyola Marymount (9-8 in WCC) is currently in fourth place, but closes at BYU (16-1). Pepperdine and Santa Clara are both 8-9 in WCC play heading into their finales. The Waves close at WCC co-leader San Diego (16-1), while the Broncos travel to play Saint Mary’s (4-13). Pacific (10-7), currently third, hosts winless San Francisco in its finale.