SPOKANE, Wash. — As if Tuesday's home match against Santa Clara wasn't exciting enough, Gaels fans were treated to another thrilling match, this time on the road. Saint Mary's traveled up to The Kennel to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs, and the match went back-and-forth just like Tuesday's. This time, Gonzaga got the last laugh as they were able to win an incredible fourth set and down the Gaels with scores of 12-25, 25-12, 22-25, and 31-33. Saint Mary's falls to 7-6 (1-3) while Gonzaga improves to 5-9 (1-2).
 
TURNING IT AROUND
It's hard to envision a turnaround more drastic than what happened from the first set to the second set. The Gaels came out a bit flat in the first set, with Gonzaga taking it thanks to a whopping six service aces and holding the Gaels without a block. Things changed drastically in the second set in favor of the Gaels, with SMC winning by the same 25-12 margin. Part of their improvement was a lack of errors, where the Gaels did not have a single attack error at hit at a 0.562 clip. Jennifer "Boo" Laird also channeled what she did in the fifth set on Tuesday and exploded onto the scene with two solo blocks, leading a Gaels block that had three in the second set.
 
FOURTH SET FIREWORKS
Thursday's fourth set was one of the best sets fans will see all season. Saint Mary's was on the verge of forcing a fifth set, up 24-21 with set point in hand. Gonzaga then rattled off three-straight points to stay alive, and that's when the battle was just heating up. Saint Mary's had three more chances at set point, with the latest coming at 31-30 SMC, they could not get the second point in a row. Everyone was playing a role in the set, with Chandler Cowell and Laird leading the way with three kills. The final three points, however, went to the Zags as they capped off the marathon set. It marked the longest set the Gaels have played in since November 3, 2007, when 30 points were needed to win each set (this was the last season of needing 30 points to win).
 
LET'S HAVE A BLOCK PARTY
After being held without a block in the first set, Saint Mary's rebounded to finish the night with 12 blocks, one shy of their season best. The strong play at the net really came alive in the fourth set, when Saint Mary's unleashed seven blocks, their most in a set all season. Laird combined for four blocks in the set, while Trinity Durfee had three. It was a strong night overall for Durfee, who also recorded a career-best in kills with eight. The net play was set up in part because of some stellar defense on the night by players like Kelsey Knudsen, who paced all players on either side with 16 digs.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Mary's wraps up their busy week of WCC play with a Saturday affair against the Portland Pilots. First serve is scheduled for 12:00 pm and will mark the end of a busy stretch of travel for the Gaels. They will not leave the state again during the season, and won't leave the Bay Area until November.