Northwest Challenge Tournament Central | Portland State Box Score | Boise State Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash.--The Gonzaga University volleyball team saw a strong end to the season-opening Northwest Challenge Saturday, picking up wins against Portland State and Boise State at the Martin Centre while doing so in impressive comeback fashion.

Match One: Gonzaga 3, Portland State 1 (22-25, 25-13, 25-17, 25-19)

After dropping the first set 25-22 to the Vikings, Gonzaga bounced back in a big way, taking the second 25-13. GU went wire-to-wire in the frame, using a hitting percentage of .435 and taking advantage of 10 Viking errors. The Zags maintained a one or two point lead to open the frame but eventually stretched that out to 11-6 thanks to kills from Imani Wimbush, Emmy Allen, and Savannah Blinn. They worked the score to 18-12 and then hit a higher gear, winning seven the frame's final eight points to even the contest at one set apiece.

In the third set, the Bulldogs responded after Portland State nearly drew level halfway through the set. The Vikings rattled off four points in a row to turn a five-point Gonzaga lead to a tight 14-13 contest, but the close call sparked an 11-4 Bulldog run to close out the set. That run was spurred on by senior Jordan Gasser , who posted four of her five second-set kills during the final stretch.

The Zags clinched their first win of the year with a 25-19 third set victory, coming back from a six-point deficit. Portland State took a 12-6 lead to begin the set, but Gonzaga whittled that down and evened it at 17 all. The Zags ended the frame on a 9-2 run, winning the last four points to close out the morning contest

Blinn led all players with 19 kills in the morning session while Joseph paced Gonzaga with 18 assists. Freshman Faith Smith also added 18 digs, the most of anyone on the floor.

Game Two: Gonzaga 3, Boise State 1 (25-20, 22-25, 26-24, 25-20)

The Zags took the early advantage with a 25-20 win in a well-played first set. Both teams hit above .280 in the frame with Gonzaga at .333. Gasser led all Bulldogs in the frame with six kills and a .625 percentage. Neither team held a lead greater than three points until the Zags took a 21-17 lead on the serve of Smith. They then crept the score up to 23-18 and 24-19 before putting away the set with a kill from Blinn.

The second set was just as competitive, but it was the Broncos who landed on top 25-22. In the third set, the visitors took control early, establishing six-point leads at 9-15, 11-17 and 15-21. The Bulldogs ripped off four straight points and trimmed the deficit to two, however. After a Boise State point off a service error, the Bulldogs embarked on another four-point run to even the match at 22-all. Three points later, the Zags enjoyed their first lead of the set at 24-23, but a kill from Boise State's Sierra Nobley brought the two squads level again. Blinn took over with the score notched at 24, finishing off the frame with two consecutive kills to give the Zags a 2-1 match advantage. In all, Gonzaga ended the third set on an 11-3 run with Gasser tallying six of those points. Blinn and junior McKayla Ferris also provided kills during the stretch.

Boise State responded to the comeback by taking a two point lead in the fourth set at 4-6, but a 6-1 run from the Bulldogs gave GU a lead it wouldn't fully relinquish. The Broncos brought the set level twice after that mark, but the Zags bounced back to take a four point advantage at 19-15. After Boise State came back within two at 21-19, the Zags used a BSU attack error and three kills from Blinn to put the match on ice with a 25-20 set victory.

Gasser had a standout match Saturday evening, leading the Zags with 21 kills and a .425 hit percentage. Nobley, however, led all players with 25 kills, although the Bronco only hit .200 versus GU. Both Blinn and Allen also hit double digits in kills for the Zags, while Smith provided 29 assists. Wimbush led all players with eight total blocks, and Allen wasn't far behind with seven herself. Blinn, Gasser, and Nobely all earned a spot on the Northwest Challenge All-Tournament team for their strong efforts throughout the tournament.

With a 2-1 record over the weekend, Gonzaga finished second in the Northwest Challenge for the second straight year. Washington (3-0) won all nine sets en route to the tourney title, and Boise State (1-2) and Portland State (0-3) rounded out the tournament standings. The Huskies' Courtney Schwan was named Tournament MVP.

Northwest Challenge All-Tournament Team:
MVP: Courtney Schwan -- Washington
Pati Anae -- Portland State
Savannah Blinn -- Gonzaga
Jordan Gasser -- Gonzaga
Sierra Nobley -- Boise State
Lianna Sybeldon -- Washington

Bulldog Bites:

• Gasser's 21 kills is most for the senior in 15 matches as she last had that many Oct. 20 2014 at Santa Clara. She last hit better than .425 on Sept. 6 of last season when she hit .444 (15 kills, three errors, 27 attempts) versus Canisius.
• After making the All-NWC team Saturday, Blinn has been named to four straight tournament teams dating back to the beginning of 2014. She was MVP of the Gonzaga Invitational last year.
• Gonzaga has beaten Portland State in four of the last five matches between the two squads dating back to 2011. This is the second year in a row that Gonzaga beat both Portland State and Boise State during the Northwest Challenge after it had not happened previously.

Zag Speak:
Gonzaga head coach Dave Gantt
"We didn't get going today as early as I would have liked, but we worked it out and won the next three sets against Portland State and played at a pretty good level until the middle of the third set against Boise State. After letting them have two or three runs that made it difficult, we got stubborn at the end, and holy cow, where did Jordan Gasser come from?"

"All along, we've talked about who will step up and contribute along with Savannah. Is it going to be Gasser, is it going to be Ferris, is it going to be Allen? We can be a multi-faceted attack, and you can see how it can put stress on a defensive system. I was proud of the team today because we did some things -- especially against Boise State -- that we haven't done before, taking some people used to being in there out and putting some younger players in there and solidifying everything. They did a good job of putting the pressure on the other side of the net, which is exactly what running your offense will do."

Up Next:
Gonzaga (1-2) remains at home for the next three matches as they welcome Wyoming, Montana, and Utah to the Martin Centre for the Gonzaga Invitational. The Bulldogs and Cowgirls will start off the tournament with a 4:00 p.m. showdown on Friday, Sept. 4. That contest will be a rematch of a thrilling 2014 game in Laramie, Wyo., where the Zags won in five sets. That was the Cowgirls' first loss of the season.