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Jayhawk Classic Notes

LAST TIME OUT:

• Gonzaga went 3-1 in the Phoenix area last weekend, sweeping through the GCU Invite and taking a set from No. 10 Arizona State before falling 3-1. Setter Faith Smith was named MVP of the Grand Canyon-hosted tournament, and junior Emmy Allen also earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
• GU saw incredible offensive efficiency during the GCU Invite, hitting .346 as a squad. Sophomore outside hitter Kaylie Loewen led the team with a .586 average with 19 kills in 29 attacks, and junior outside hitter Emmy Allen hit .490 with 25 kills and just one attack error. The Zags also averaged 14.44 digs per set and 3.56 blocks per set during the tournament. Redshirt junior middle blocker Paige Folger saw extensive playing time in Arizona, contributing 11 total blocks and 1.86 per frame.
• Last Sunday, the Zags hung with No. 10 Arizona State for more than two sets, splitting the first two frames and tying the third at 8-8 before the Sun Devils pulled away. Senior outside hitter Savannah Blinn led all players with 19 kills that match, but the Zags couldn't re-establish their offensive rhythm after the intermission.

A LITTLE FAITH:

• Freshman Faith Smith has been a key part of the Zag offense so far this season. The setter has dished out 218 assists while running the first three rotations of Gonzaga's offense, averaging 6.23 assists per set. She's the only freshman to be among the West Coast Conference's top 10 in assists per set. Thanks in part to Smith's setting, the Zags are No. 2 in the WCC with 13.17 assists a set.
• Smith is also second on the squad with 88 digs (2.51 a set), and she's finished 11 kills for a .688 attack average. The 5-6 San Diegan even has a block, earning a block assist Sept. 11 versus Niagara.
• Named MVP of the GCU Invite, Smith elevated her game with 8.67 assists per set during the three-match tournament. Three of her four highest single-match assist totals came in Antelope Gymnasium despite playing three three-set matches with a high of 27 coming Sept. 12 versus Southern Utah.

THE EMMY FOR BEST OUTSIDE HITTER IN A SUPPORTING ROLE GOES TO:

• Junior Emmy Allen also earned a spot on the GCU Invite All-Tournament Team after hitting a ridiculous .490 with 25 kills at Grand Canyon-hosted tournament. The transfer from Washington State led the Zags with 11 kills against Niagara, hitting .550 against the Purple Eagles without one attack error. Her first offensive error of the entire tournament came deep into the second set against Southern Utah.
• Allen has done it all for Gonzaga so far, ranking second on the team in kills and attacks and tying for second in blocks. Her 86 kills on the year is second only to Savannah Blinn, and she's blocked 29 opponent attacks, equaling Kaylie Loewen in the category. Allen does have the better block/set ratio, posting 0.85 blocks every frame compared to Loewen's 0.83. Additionally, Allen leads the team with six aces and she's fourth with 53 digs.

CHASING FOURTH:

• Redshirt senior Savannah Blinn has 1,406 career kills and is currently fifth on GU's all-time kills list. She lies just 24 kills from taking over fourth place from Becky Jones (1,429 kills from 2004-07). Additionally, Blinn is the active WCC leader in kills and seventh among all active players in Division I in the category. Her career kills per set rate of 4.13 ranks Blinn even higher at No. 3 in Division I and No. 6 in all three NCAA divisions.
• An All-American Honorable Mention selection last season, Blinn is on her way to deserving national honors again. The opposite hitter is currently on pace for 436 kills and would become the first Zag in 25 years to produce at least 400 kills in three consecutive seasons. Her 1.18 digs per set this season would be a career high, and she's percentage points away from equaling her personal best of 0.66 blocks per set as well.

FANCY BROOMWORK:

• Gonzaga has five 3-0 sweeps this season, sweeping two matches (Wyoming, Montana) at the Gonzaga Invitational and all three matches (Grand Canyon, Niagara, Southern Utah) at the GCU Invite. This equals last season's tally of five 3-0 victories.
• In fact, the Bulldogs have swept exactly three matches during the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons. The school record is 11 3-0 wins, which the Zags have done three times. They set that record back in 1989 and equaled it in both 1990 and 1992.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS WEEKEND:

• The Zags will play No. 17 Kansas, UMKC, and South Dakota State as part of the Jayhawk Classic. Gonzaga has never played either Kansas or UMKC in program history while the Bulldogs are 0-3 against South Dakota State, last playing the Jackrabbits in 2012 in the Gonzaga Invitational.
• Kansas is undefeated at 9-0 with wins over Arkansas, Duke, and Wyoming, among others. The Jayhawks are driven by efficient passing, leading the nation with 13.87 assists per set, and Ainise Havili has the lions' share of those with 357 assists, 12.31 per set. Kelsie Payne leads the Jayhawks with 112 kills and an electric .408 hitting percentage. As a team, Kansas is fifth in D1 with a .310 hitting percentage.
• UMKC is 6-3 on the year and coming off a win in its own Kangaroo Klassic. The Roos can extend points with strong defense; UMKC is sixth in the nation with 17.87 digs per set and 21st with 2.81 blocks a frame. Taryn Miller leads the squad with 170 digs (5.48 per set) while Skyler Muff's 42 blocks top the Roos. Sydney Crimmins leads the Kangaroos with 99 kills, but that's just two more than Jessica Hendin.
• South Dakota State is 1-11 in 2015 with that lone win coming in five sets over Columbia two weeks ago. Ashley Beaner and Mikala Hora are tied with 80 kills this season, although Beaner's 2.11 kill/set average tops the squad. Mattison Munger's 188 assists lead all other players, as do Kacey Hermann's 25 blocks. Two players -- Hora and Lizzie Palmer -- have over 100 digs on the year.

ZAGS PICKED FOURTH IN PRESEASON POLL:

• The West Coast Conference coaches tabbed the Zags fourth in the annual preseason poll, just one point behind San Diego for third place. The ranking is the highest Gonzaga has received under Dave Gantt and believed to be the highest in school history. Fifty seven points is also believed to be a program best.

FLASHING BACK TO 2014:

• Gonzaga went 17-12 overall and 8-10 in WCC play, both matching the highest totals in the last 20 years (in 2007, GU also won 17 overall matches; eight conference wins is a program record).
• The Zags' attack was the best in the program's last 10 years and among the nation's top 20 with 1,737 kills (15th) and 1,640 assists (ninth). Also, the squads' .246 hitting percentage was the best in the last decade as well.