MISSOULA, Mont. – The Gonzaga volleyball team fell 3-1 to Iowa State (25-12, 22-25, 26-24, 25-21) in its first match of the Montana Invitational Friday morning at Dahlberg Arena.
 
Though the Bulldogs nearly matched the Cyclones defensively with an identical 84 digs along with 10.0 blocks to ISU's 16.0, Gonzaga's hitting errors proved to be the difference in the match. The Bulldogs committed 32 errors on 175 swings, hitting .091 for the match while the Cyclones hit .227 for the match for 61 kills.
 
"We are proving that we are capable of beating solid teams," Gonzaga head volleyball coach Diane Nelson said. "We made too many errors and got outplayed in the end."
 
Gonzaga (0-3) fell 25-12 to Iowa State (4-1) to open the match, but the Bulldogs came alive in the second set, connecting for 16 kills while tallying 4.0 blocks to force the Cyclones into eight hitting errors. Gonzaga capitalized, taking the second set 25-22 to even the match 1-1.
 
In the final two sets the Bulldogs improved their hitting, finishing with 26 kills hitting .167 as a squad, but Iowa State offense took off for 35 kills hitting .273. In the third set, the Bulldogs traded points with the Cyclones, but ISU broke a late 24-all tie with back-to-back kills to take the set 26-24 and gain the 2-1 advantage in the match.
 
In the final set, back-to-back Bulldog errors gave Iowa State a four-point cushion (14-10). Gonzaga was able to pull to within two (22-20) following a service ace by redshirt sophomore Katelyn Oppio and a kill from sophomore Chapin Gray, but the Cyclones finished on a 3-1 run to claim the 25-21 fourth-set win and take the match 3-1.
 
The Bulldogs were led by Oppio with a career-high 13 kills with five blocks, while senior Tiyana Hallums added a team-high 22 digs. Iowa State was led by Eleanor Holthaus with 16 kills while Piper Mauck added a match-high 54 assists.
 
Gonzaga returns to the court in its second match of the Montana Invitational against No. 22 Utah Aug. 31 at 4 p.m. PT.