PHOENIX, Ariz.--The Gonzaga University beat the Arizona heat Friday and provided some of its own, taking down both Grand Canyon and Niagara in three sets apiece to open the GCU Invite held at Antelope Gymnasium in Phoenix.

Match One: Gonzaga 3, Grand Canyon 0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-21)

Gonzaga began the Invite by sweeping host school Grand Canyon in three sets, outhitting the Antelopes by nearly 200 points while posting 15 more kills and 16 more assists.

The Bulldogs never trailed in the first set against the `Lopes, taking an early lead and never looking back. A kill from junior Emmy Allen and four more points on her serve gave the Zags a five point lead at 7-2. They maintained that but erupted for eight consecutive points on the serve of freshman Faith Smith. That run gave them an 18-7 lead, and that margin held until Kaylie Loewen, Imani Wimbush, and Allen ended the frame consecutive kills.

In the second set, Grand Canyon held a slim 6-8 lead shortly into the frame, but the Bulldogs ripped off another run for another lead. Junior McKayla Ferris won GU the serve with a kill at 8-9, and they posted four more points on Smith's serve for a 12-9 lead. The `Lopes kept close throughout the set, however, pulling even at 22-22 and 23-23. With the score tied at 23, Smith caught the GCU defense off guard with an attack on the second hit to go to set point, and Blinn pounded home that point for a 2-0 GU lead.

The Antelopes stormed out to a large lead in the final set, winning 11 of the first 14 points. Gonzaga whittled that deficit down, and a five consecutive Bulldog points brought the set score to within two at 16-14. At that point the GU defense stiffened up, not ceding more than two consecutive points for the rest of the match. A kill from Gasser and Blinn coupled with a `Lope attack error brought the game to within one, and they Zags tied it amidst a four point run to take the lead at 22-20. At that point GCU got one more point via a GU service error, but the Zags got the serve back on a block from Loewen and picked up the final two points to complete the sweep.

Match Two: Gonzaga 3, Niagara 0 (25-12, 25-10, 25-16)

In the quickest and most efficient match of the season for Gonzaga, the Zags made it two sweeps in a row with another three set victory over Niagara. Loewen led the way with an astounding .800 hit percentage with eight kills and zero errors, while Allen posted an errorless 11 kills on the night as well. Overall, Gonzaga hit .409 as a squad, their best mark of the year.

The Bulldogs stormed out to an early lead on the serve of senior Jordan Gasser. A Purple Eagle service error gave the outside hitter the serve, and GU rattled off five straight points -- including an ace -- en route to a 6-1 lead. That lead grew by one point when Gasser rotated around to serve again, and she led the Zags to another six point run for a 19-7 advantage. At that point the Zags ran out the set, which finished up on an attack error from Niagara. Eleven of Gonzaga's 25 points in the frame came on the serve of Gasser.

In set two, Gonzaga used a 10-2 run at the beginning of the set to pull away from Niagara early, enjoying an 11-3 lead after the first 14 points. After the score worked its way to 13-7, the Bulldogs ripped off a 12-3 run to close out the set. Seven of Allen's 10 kills during the match came during the second set, and redshirt junior Paige Folger added three of her own.

In the third set, the two teams stayed a bit closer in the beginning with the Bulldogs maintaining a four point advantage. In the middle of the frame, Gonzaga pulled away with a 7-1 powered by three kills and an ace. Kills from Gasser and Allen gave the Zags match point, and after a Niagara kill, Gonzaga clinched on a Purple Eagle service error.

Bulldog Bites

• With the day's sweeps, Gonzaga has won four three-setters this season, just one away from last year's mark of five 3-0 wins. The Bulldogs also beat Wyoming and Montana in three during the Gonzaga Invitational Sept. 4-5.
• The Bulldogs hit .409 against Niagara, the squad's highest hitting percentage this season and highest since hitting .421 against Canisius Sept. 6, 2014. Meanwhile, the Bulldog defense held the Purple Eagles to hitting just .060, the lowest mark by an opponent this season by far and lowest since Montana State hit just .011 against GU Sept. 13, 2013. Loewen hit a blistering 8-for-10 for an .800 hit percentage, her best mark in a multi-kill game at Gonzaga.
• By hitting .480 against Grand Canyon in the morning, Ferris set a new personal mark for hitting percentage in a match. Her match-high 15 kills came on just 25 attacks and three errors, eclipsing the .474 she hit in 2013 (no kill minimum) and .471 she posted Sept. 5 versus Montana (minimum 12 kills).
• Earning a start against Niagara, Folger set season highs with seven blocks and five kills. She last had seven blocks in a match Nov. 8 of last season versus San Francisco. The middle blocker was credited with two solo blocks.
• Smith saw a strong offensive match versus the Antelopes, dishing out 26 assists while adding three kills on four attacks, a new personal best. The assist total was the second largest of her young career as she provided 29 assists Aug. 29 versus Boise State, a four set match. Her 8.667 assists per set versus Grand Canyon was a personal best, however.

Zag Speak

GU Head Coach Dave Gantt

"Historically we struggle in playing matches early in the day and today was no exception. In the last few sets against Grand Canyon we had to find some players off the bench that were ready to go. That was a little frustrating, but I was proud of them actually because we got down pretty good in that third set and we found a way to come back. We made a few adjustments and lo and behold, we won 3-0. When we've got a bench like we do, that's a good thing."

"You have to use your schedule to develop certain parts of your game, and I was really pleased that we got everyone in the match today and tonight, and we're ready to go face two good teams Saturday and Sunday. It's nice to have these under our belt and to get a few reps in the heat of competition for multiple players and increase the depth a little bit. We're just preparing for what's coming next."

Next Up

Gonzaga (6-2) will wrap up the GCU Invite with a match against Southern Utah on Saturday, Sept. 12. That contest will begin at 1:00 p.m. again at the Antelope Gymnasium. A link to live stats for that match may be found on www.gozags.com.