MUNCIE, Ind. – The Gonzaga volleyball team bounced back with a 3-0 sweep of Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday after dropping their first two matches on Friday. Three Zags led the way with double-digit kills as GU picked up their first win of the 2023 season inside Worthen Arena.
 
THE ACTION
First Set – Gonzaga, 25-15

• Gonzaga (1-2) jumped out to a 9-7 lead over Purdue Fort Wayne (0-2) early in the first set, led by a pair of kills from Jody Smith.
• Continuing a 9-2 run, the Zags extended their lead to 14-8, forcing the Mastodons to use their final timeout of the set.
• The Bulldogs continued to dominate Set One with the help of Smith and Nia Damuni, who teamed up for back-to-back blocks to extend the lead to 18-11. The lead would only grow as GU took the first set, 25-15.

Second Set – Gonzaga, 25-23

• The Bulldogs and Mastodons battled back-and-forth early in the second set, with neither team taking more than a two point advantage through the halfway point.
• GU and PFW traded runs throughout Set Two, with Gonzaga forcing a Dons timeout after a 4-0 run and building a 17-14 lead. Purdue Fort Wayne countered with a 4-0 run of their own to regain an 18-17 advantage and force a Gonzaga timeout.
• Tyra Schaub caught fire late in the second set, recording three of her four kills of the set as retook the lead 24-22.
• Autumn Larson put the Dons away, 25-23 in Set Two with her sixth kill of the set, bringing her match total to nine.

Third Set – Gonzaga, 28-26

• Despite trailing by as many as four early in Set Three, Gonzaga battled back to take a 15-12 lead. Schaub stayed hot, adding four more kills in the first half of the third set.
• Purdue Fort Wayne would not go quietly in the final set, as both teams battled to the 25-point mark, eventually reaching it at a 25-25 tie.
• The Zags and Dons traded one more blow apiece before Gonzaga scored twice to take the third set, 28-26 and 3-0 sweep.
• Juliette Russell led the way for GU with six kills. Schaub and Larson tacked on five and four, respectively 

 
NOTABLE NUMBERS

• Larson led the Zags with 13 kills and hit at a .281 clip, adding three digs. It is her second straight match with double-digit kills, topping the new career high mark she set on Friday night (10).
• Schaub continued to heat up throughout the match, recording three kills in the first set, four in the second, and five in the third. Her match total of 12 is a career high and her first double-digit kill match as a Zag.
• Russell led the Bulldogs in the final set with six kills on ten attacks with zero errors. She recorded ten kills on the day, matching a career high for the fourth time.
• Smith recorded a career-high six blocks, leading all blockers in the match.
• As a team, Gonzaga bested Purdue Fort Wayne 43-37 in kills, 6-5 in service aces, and 8.0-5.0 in total team blocks. They recorded a match-high 17 kills in the final set, hitting at a .389 clip as a team.

 
UP NEXT
The Zags open their 2023 home schedule as they host the Gonzaga Tournament starting Friday, Sept. 1. Their first match will be at 6 p.m. against Air Force Academy in the Charlotte Y. Martin Centre.
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