Gonzaga’s volleyball team drops two matches at Montana Tournament

Lauga Gauta finished with a match-high 16 kills Friday and 22nd-ranked Utah (4-1) swept Gonzaga 3-0 to complete the Bulldogs’ winless day at the Montana Tournament in Missoula.

The Bulldogs (0-4) opened the day with a 3-1 loss to Iowa State (4-1) as the Cyclones’ Eleanor Holthaus and Jess Schaben combined for 31 kills.

Sarah Penner led GU against Utah, finishing with nine kills and seven digs while hitting .318. Jenna Kuehn had 10 assists.

Against Iowa State, the Bulldogs committed 32 errors on 175 swings, hitting .091. The Cyclones hit .227 with 61 kills.

Gonzaga won the second set 25-22, connecting for 16 kills and totaling four blocks to force the Cyclones into eight hitting errors.

GU’s Katelyn Oppio had 13 kills. Faith Smith and Kuehn combined for added 23 digs and 36 assists.