University of Washington
Gonzaga
No. 9 Huskies Take Northwest Challenge With Sweep Of Gonzaga
September 04, 2010 | Volleyball
Sept. 4, 2010
BOISE, Idaho - Washington captured the title at the Northwest Challenge today, sweeping Gonzaga at the Bronco Gym to complete a long day which started earlier with another sweep of Boise State. Junior Bianca Rowland had 10 kills in the nightcap while hitting .529, as the No. 9 Huskies (5-0) rolled 25-15, 25-21, 25-17. This is the third year of the tourney, and the third tournament win for the Dawgs.
Over the three matches, which also included a sweep of Portland State on Friday, Rowland posted 30 kills while hitting .565. The junior All-American set the school record and posted the third-best hitting percentage in Pac-10 history last year at .456. Perry had a team-high 38 kills on the weekend and posted a team-best 11 tonight against he Bulldogs along with 12 digs for the first double-double by a Husky this year.
Redshirt freshman Jenna Orlandini turned in a career-best 20 digs, helping hold Gonzaga to a .102 attack percentage. Sophomore Kelcey Dunaway also had a big night with five blocks and was on point with her serve, tallying a career-best four aces. Not to be overlooked was the great night of freshman Gabbi Parker, who got her first start and posted 10 kills with just one error on 20 swings for a .450 percentage.
Two straight kills from Rowland put UW up 4-2 early in the first set. Hagglund helped herself to a finish for a 6-3 advantage. An ace from senior Becky Perry a few points later made it 10-5, then Parker stepped up with her first kill of the set to keep UW chugging along. At 19-15, the Huskies powered towards the end of the set with a 6-0 run. Carlson started things with a kill, then Kelcey Dunaway sent down her second ace of the set. Rowland and Carlson met at the net for a block, then Rowland sandwiched two more finishes around yet another ace from Dunaway as she continues to have a strong weekend at the service line.
The Bulldogs got out to a three-point lead early in the second set, but a UW run was sparked by its middles with kills from Dunaway and Rowland for a 9-8 Husky lead. Parker sent one to the floor to extend the Dawgs out to a 12-9 lead. A couple Gonzaga miscues were exacerbated by a block from Hagglund and Rowland and the Bulldogs needed a timeout with UW up 15-10. The teams traded three-point mini-runs, and Gonzaga closed to within two points on a couple occasions, but the Huskies held firm. A block from Rowland and Carlson made it 22-19, and Parker notched another kill for 23-20. Hagglund sent one down to bring up set point, then she fed Perry for the final swing in the 25-21 set win.
Unlike the day's earlier match, where UW came out firing on all cylinders in the third set, it was Gonzaga that grabbed a quick 3-0 lead, and extended it to 6-2 as UW ran into three blocks. Washington began to march back from there, going on a 6-1 run to take back the lead. Perry started the run with a kill then Hagglund and Dunaway paid back one of GU's blocks with one of their own. Consecutive Perry kills, and a Zag miscue made it 8-7 UW. Dunaway stepped up to serve and ignited another run, with kills by Carlson and Perry followed with an ace from the sophomore middle. The Bulldogs needed time at 14-10, but Parker came out of the break with another kill to keep the momentum. Rowland and Carlson went back-to-back with put-aways, then a ball-handling error necessitated another GU timeout with Washington pulling away 19-14. At 20-17, the Huskies went on a final run to end the weekend. Perry started with a kill, but from there it was all defense, as Dunaway teamed up with Carlson for one block, then with Perry for another, and Gonzaga misfired on the final two points to give the Huskies the 25-17 set and the tournament title.
Next week the Dawgs will travel cross country to Athens, Georgia to face another set of Bulldogs. Washington will compete in the University of Georgia's invitational tourney, beginning with a match against the host school on Friday, Sept. 10, at 4 p.m. Pacific.
