Utah Box Score | Idaho State Box Score

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah-The Gonzaga University volleyball team showed its grit and determination Saturday in a pair of hard-fought matches en route to two wins and a tournament title during the final day of the Utah Volleyball Classic at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.

Match One: Gonzaga 3, Utah 2 (26-24, 26-24, 19-25, 25-27, 17-15)

The Zags opened the day by prevailing in one of the most tightly-contested matches of recent memory. The morning contest between Gonzaga and Utah saw 42 tie scores and 13 lead changes. In the first set, GU trailed 21-23 but came back to win 26-24. Senior Emmy Allen contributed two of her career-high 29 kills during that stretch, and the Zags got a pair of blocks from Imani Wimbush and Katelyn Oppio as well before McKayla Ferris finished off the frame with a kill.

They won the second set by a similar scoreline, facing a set point at 23-24 this time but rattling three straight kills - one each from Allen, Wimbush, and Oppio - to win the set and take a 2-0 lead heading into intermission.

Utah tied the match by winning the next two sets - the third one by six points, the fourth in extras - giving the Zags their second five-setter in as many matches on the year. During that fifth set, the Utes took a three-point lead at 4-7, but the Zags rattled off five consecutive points - two off Utah attack errors and three off kills from Allen - to take the lead. The Utes then re-tied the frame at both 10-10 and 14-14, but Gonzaga took three of the final four points for a 17-15 set win and a win over a Pac-12 opponent.

Match Two: Gonzaga 3, Idaho State 1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-22, 32-30)

In another hard-fought contest, the Zags clinched the tournament title with a four-set victory over Idaho State. The Bengals began the game by taking a 2-8 lead on the strength of six straight points, but the Zags used their own five-point run a short while later to eliminate the deficit. They then took five of six points for a 19-15 lead and never looked back, taking the set by three.

ISU took the second to even the match heading into the break, but a late three-point stretch from the Bulldogs gave them the third set and the match lead once more.

The fourth frame, meanwhile, accounted for more than half of the match's tie scores and lead changes with the two squads trading the lead 11 times and tying it up 19. Neither squad led by more than two at any point in the frame, and both teams turned aside multiple set points before the Zags ripped off three straight at the end to clinch the win and the tournament. Ferris evened up the set at 30-all by finishing off a pass from Faith Smith, and the Zags drew attack errors from ISU's Abby Jensen to clinch the elongated set 32-30.

All-Tournament Team:

Three Bulldogs earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team by virtue of GU's perfect 3-0 record in Salt Lake City. Ferris was named MVP after tallying a double-double in all three matches and finishing the weekend 66 kills and 40 digs. Both Allen and Smith also made the squad after Allen pounded down 69 kills and 27 digs while Smith dished out 99 assists and dug up 42 attacks.

Joining the three Zags were Butler's Anna Logan and Taylor Takeda and Utah's Adora Anae and Berkeley Oblad.

Utah finished second in the tournament with wins over Idaho State and Butler while the Bulldogs took third after beating ISU Saturday morning.

Bulldog Bites:

• With their win over Utah, the Zags picked up their first victory over a Pac-12 team in 5 years. In 2011, they took down Oregon State in five sets as part of the UniWyo Invite in Laramie, Wyoming. Gonzaga posted its second-ever win against Utah and first since 1991, which also came in Salt Lake City.
• Not only are Allen's 29 kills versus the Utes a personal high, they're also the most by any Zag since Savannah Blinn also pounded 29 against Loyola Marymount Oct. 4, 2014. They're also the most by a player not named Blinn since 2004.
• In three matches and 14 sets, the Zags have tallied 233 digs, averaging 16.64 per set. That number is well over last year's average of 13.9 per set. At least three Zags have reached double digits in all three matches, and libero Tiyana Hallums leads the team with 50 total digs so far. Smith has 42, and Ferris' 40 is third on the squad.
• One more Zag made her collegiate debut Saturday as Payton Mack played in one set against Utah and three against Idaho State. She assisted on six blocks and added a kill.

Zag Speak: Thoughts from Gonzaga head coach Diane Nelson

• "This team is not letting mistakes get to them. They're finding strength and courage from each other, and everyone is contributing."

Next Up:

The Bulldogs (3-0) continue the 2016 season with a single match at Montana Saturday, Sept. 6. That contest between the two regional foes will begin at 1:00 p.m. Pacific (2:00 p.m. Mountain) in Missoula.