SPOKANE, Wash. – In their 2024 home-opening match, Gonzaga volleyball fell to Utah Tech in a tough fifth set that concluded day two of the Gonzaga Tournament inside the Martin Centre. The Zags took a 2-1 lead after a dominant third set, but the Trailblazers answered right back before taking the deciding fifth set 15-7.
 
Gonzaga (1-3) earned the hard-fought 25-23 win in the first after an offensive showing that saw 17 kills and a .382 hitting percentage. Raechelle Dykstra led the Bulldogs with six kills, hitting at a .625 clip while adding six digs. Utah Tech (4-1) would not let Gonzaga build much of a lead, answering just about every call that the Zags made. A Hayley Ogden kill made it 20-15 in favor of GU, but Utah Tech would eventually bring the score within one. In the end, a set dump by Nia Damuni and a final blow from Dykstra earned the win for Gonzaga.
 
The second set belonged mostly to Utah Tech, who grabbed a quick 8-4 lead before extending further after the media timeout. Two GU timeouts weren't enough to settle the Trailblazer offense, which put up a .360 hitting percentage in set two, led by a trio of kills from Tessa Treanor and Hannah Howard.
 
After the break, the Zags went to work on defense in the third. Ogden picked up five blocks in a dominant 25-16 win for Gonzaga, who broke a 7-7 tie before a 12-5 run blew the score wide open. As a team, GU notched seven total blocks in the set to advance with a 2-1 lead.
 
As they did in set two, Utah Tech responded to send the match to a tiebreaking fifth set with a 25-18 win in the fourth.
 
In the fifth, the Trailblazers went right back to work with an immediate 3-0 lead. Gonzaga was forced to call a timeout, but it would not prove to ice the Utah Tech offense that continued to expand the lead. Another Knudsen kill forced GU to call their final timeout, now trailing 12-5. The lead would prove too much as Utah Tech would go on to complete the comeback with a 15-7 win.
 
Dykstra was Gonzaga's leader on offense on Friday, picking up a season-high 15 kills while adding 13 digs to notch her first career double-double. Ogden added 11 kills to pair with her 5 blocks, and Avery Lowe recorded 18 digs to lead the Bulldogs.
 
UP NEXT
Gonzaga wraps up their first home weekend of the season on Saturday against Cal State Fullerton at 6pm. The match will stream on ESPN+, with live stats available at www.GoZags.com.