The Canisius volleyball team lost two matches at the Gonzaga Invitational on Saturday, in Spokane, Wash. The Golden Griffins lost in three sets to the host Bulldogs and then fell in five sets to Grand Canyon University.

“We played some tough competition this weekend, and I thought we had a chance to do something special in getting some victories,” Canisius coach Cathy Hummel said. “We are still a few plays away from making that happen.

“Our team isn't going to grow up mentally in one day, and we're still waiting for that maturity to occur. I am pleased with the team's attention to detail in the game plan, especially on these quick turnarounds in a tournament.”

Gonzaga 3, Canisius 0 (22-25, 18-25, 13-25)

The Bulldogs broke open the first set, which featured 12 ties and three lead changes, with a 5-1 run to take a 22-18 lead. Canisius could never close the gap as Gonzaga took the first set. Canisius led 11-9 in the second set before Gonzaga (4-1) scored six straight points to take control of the set. The Bulldogs scored the first four points of the third set and never looked back.

Junior Rachel Kline posted a team-high 15 kills while junior Grace Streicher had 34 assists. Freshman Kristin Bendy had seven kills and a .417 attack percentage, and senior Emily Litwin recorded 15 digs.

Grand Canyon 3, Canisius 2 (25-22, 25-23, 13-25, 18-25, 6-15)

Canisius used a 6-2 run to go up 14-10 and take control of the first set. Back-to-back kills from sophomore Katlyn Tyler started a four-point spurt that made the score 18-12, with another kill from Tyler giving the Griffs the opening set. Another four-point run in the second set put Canisius up 18-13, and the Griffs went up 24-18 on a kill from Tyler. A kill from junior Lauren Siebert put Canisius up 2-0 in the match.

Grand Canyon (5-1) won the third and fourth sets, and carried that momentum to the fifth set. The Antelopes jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead. Canisius cut the deficit to 5-3, but Grand Canyon won the next six points and eventually took the match.

Kline had her third double-double of the season with 12 kills and 17 digs. Tyler led Canisius with 13 kills while Streicher had 38 assists and nine digs. Litwin posted 31 digs while freshman Kristen Plukas had a career-high 13 digs.

Canisius (0-6) wraps up its non-conference schedule next weekend at the Billiken Invitational in St. Louis, Mo.

Notes: Kline was named to the All-Tournament Team... Canisius and Gonzaga also played in 2007 in Montana while Canisius and Grand Canyon met for the first time… Canisius has now played three five-set matches in 2014… Canisius committed 12 service errors against Grand Canyon, the most since committing 16 at Charleston Southern on Aug. 31, 2012… Litwin posted 30-plus digs for the second time in her career at Canisius (Aug. 30, 2013 vs. Eastern Michigan)… Streicher had 30-plus assists in all three matches on the weekend… Kline has double-digit kills in five straight matches… Canisius posted a .941 service reception percentage on the weekend after posting a .887 service reception percentage on the opening weekend.