Sept. 16, 2005

Box Score

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -The opening day of the Fiesta Bowl Tournament was no party for the Gonzaga University volleyball team as the Bulldogs fell to a larger Baylor University squad in four games. The Bears (8-2) dominated play at the net with 22 more kills and 11 more blocks during the 30-19, 28-30 30-23, 30-19 win. Gonzaga fell to 6-6 on the year and will face host Northern Arizona University Saturday morning before concluding tournament play against the University of Texas El Paso.

Baylor used their size to their advantage as they combined for a .323 hitting percentage with four players finishing play in double digit kills. Nicole LeBlanc was the biggest weapon with 19 kills with a .333 hitting percentage and a team-high 18 digs. Stealla Odion also had a big night with 17 kills and a match-best .519 attack clip.

Gonzaga's Briawna Mueller tried to keep pace for the Bulldogs in the middle as the sophomore continued to be Gonzaga most efficient attacker. Mueller finished with 15 kills and .312 attack percentage to remain one of only two Gonzaga players above .300 for the season. Mueller was also able to counter at the net with a team-high 4 block assists. Gonzaga would finish with 11 team blocks compared to 20 for Baylor. Amanda Modglin and Kelly Spriggs were the Bears top blockers with each picking up 6 block assists.

Sophomore outside hitter Becky Jones finished second on the Bulldogs team with 13 kills and 13 digs. The double-double was the fifth straight for Jones who continues to lead GU in kills per game at 4.2. Setter Heather Dunn passed out 41 assists with a majority coming in game two as the Bulldogs hit .400 for that game with 20 kills. Gonzaga would not hit higher than .079 in any of the other three games.

Emily Huston paced Baylor's offense with 55 assists and a match-high 4 aces. Alecia Douglas was the Zags top server with 2 aces. Douglas now has a team-high 18 aces for the year and has picked up at least one ace in 10 of the Bulldogs 12 matches. Libero Jessica Herrera added 14 digs.