SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga volleyball team continued its winning ways with a 3-0 sweep (25-14, 25-16, 25-17) over Montana in the final match of the Gonzaga Invitational Saturday evening at the Martin Centre. It marks the best start for the Zags since 2016; that squad opened the season 6-1.
 
"You can feel the energy on the court," head volleyball coach Diane Nelson said. "They're enjoying volleyball. Add that to training hard and that's the best of everything."
 
Gonzaga (5-1) continued it strong play against the Griz, finishing with 37 kills hitting .302 to go along with 11 aces, which ties for fifth all-time in program history. The Bulldogs added 31 assists, 43 digs and 5.0 blocks. Out of system, the Zags continued to terminate at a high level.
 
"We've really focused on being accurate out of system," Nelson said. "We talk about our outsides, all of our pins, staying aggressive. We've got you. That's our support system that we've talked about, not only in words but in our actions on the court. I think it's just been [the team] dialing in to a very controllable aspect of their game. The results speak for themselves."
 
Junior outside hitter Chapin Gray, who was named to the Gonzaga Invitational All-Tournament team, led the Bulldogs once more in kills, tallying nine kills off 17 attempts with just one error to hit at a .471 clip. Senior Jenna Kuehn, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, finished with 22 assists, seven kills and one block assist in the win.
 
"Jenna and I are going on our third year playing together," said junior outside hitter Sarah Penner, who finished with six kills of her own. "We've built that connection, so on the court, it's pretty natural."
 
In the first set the Zags never trailed, hitting .300 and jumping out to a 9-3 lead. Gray finished the first set with four of her nine kills and led the Bulldogs to the quick 25-14 first set win. In the second set, Montana (0-6) claimed the first point off a kill from Missy Huddleston, but the subsequent hitting error put the Zags on the scoreboard. The set featured two ties and one lead change, and once the Zags took a 4-3 lead off a kill from Kennedy Croft they continued to roll, limiting the Griz to .167 hitting with 13 digs. GU took the second set 25-16.
 
In the third set, Gonzaga continued to pressure, notching 4.0 blocks and 19 total digs in the final set while limiting the Griz to .070 hitting. Freshman Zoe Thiros was a spark off the bench for the Bulldogs, connecting for three kills off four attempts to hit .750 for the set. Gonzaga led by as many as 10 points in the third set, cruising to the 25-17 win and 3-0 match sweep.
 
Every single Zag saw the court over the course of the Gonzaga Invitational, something that Nelson was very happy to see.


"It's great because one, everyone wants to see everyone succeed," Nelson said. "So just to create more energy by someone getting some court time for the first time ever in a collegiate match. But also, full well, we trust what they've been training."
 
Montana was led by Missy Huddleston with nine kills and 15 digs while Casey Stites added 23 assists.
 
The Bulldogs are back in action Friday, Sept. 13 against New Mexico at 11 a.m. in the first match of the Redhawk Invitational, hosted by Seattle in Seattle, Wash.
 
Gonzaga Invitational All-Tournament Team
Jenna Kuehn, MVP
Chapin Gray
Natalie Risi (Ball State)
Sarah Hagge (Grand Canyon)
Janna Grimsrud (Montana)