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SPOKANE, Wash.--The Gonzaga volleyball team saved its best for last Saturday afternoon, erupting in the fifth set for a 3-2 (16-25, 25-21, 25-17, 26-28, 15-12) win inside the Martin Centre.

"It's a test of our character and grittiness," said Gonzaga head coach Diane Nelson of five-set matches. "Every match in our conference, every team we go up against, we tell them it's going to be like this. Lo and behold today, it was."

The Bulldogs combined for a .526 attack percentage in the final set, landing 10 kills and not seeing any errors. They used a four-point run to take a 6-4 advantage in the fifth, and they stretched that out to 14-10 before finishing off the set 15-12. Six different players tallied a kill in the set - four leading the way at two apiece - and sophomore Payton Mack added two solo blocks, too.

Throughout the match, Pacific actually outhit Gonzaga .259 to .256, but the Zags out-blocked the Tigers 15.0-11.5, a season high for the Bulldogs. Mack stopped nine UoP attempts, tying for the Zags' individual match high this year, and redshirt senior Alyse Whitaker added six.

Sophomore Jenna Kuehn followed up her historic triple-double Thursday night with a double-double Saturday, posting 26 assists and 14 kills to lead GU in the category. She was just two short of double-digit digs as well. Whitaker hit .524 in the match, pairing 12 kills with just one error on 21 attacks, and freshman Sarah Penner also hit .500, landing 11 kills.

With the win, Gonzaga advanced to 7-7 overall and 2-0 in West Coast Conference action. This is the second time in three seasons the Bulldogs began conference play 2-0. They also beat Saint Mary's and Pacific at home to start WCC play in 2015.

The Zags now return to the road for two matches in the Bay Area next weekend. The quick trip begins Thursday, Sept. 28, with a 7:00 p.m. contest at Santa Clara.