Four players reached double figures in kills and four players earned more than ten digs, but Seattle University could not get enough balls past the Sonoma State defense, as the Seawolves came from behind to defeat the Redhawks, 3-2 (30-25, 19-30, 24-30, 30-19, 16-14), Sunday afternoon in Seattle’s last match at the Seawolf Spike Tournament.
Offensively, was led by Libby Graff (), who earned 16 kills and hit .262 for the match. Nikole Thompson (, ) notched 14 kills, while Haley Bury (, ) contributed 13 kills and Emily Powell () added 11 kills. Freshman Jamie Mellies () continued to show that she can run a collegiate offense, earning 52 assists in the match.
Libero Heather Gerke (, ) led the Redhawks with 26 defensive digs, with fellow newcomer Emily Deleissegues (Aromas, ) picking up 17 digs as well as two service aces. Both Mellies and Thompson earned double-doubles in the match, with Mellies finishing with 16 digs and Thompson notching 11 digs during the afternoon.
Senior Josie Christiansen (Coquille, Ore.) played a solid all-around match for Seattle, finishing with six kills, two service aces, nine digs, and three blocks. Mellies also had three total blocks in the match, while Graff and Bury each contributed four digs and two blocks against the Seawolves.
For , Marianne Fox led the way with 19 kills, plus she earned 17 digs and two service aces. Lindsay Brown ran the offense for the Seawolves, notching 54 assists to go along with six kills and 15 digs. Defensively, libero Taylor Manton dominated the backline, finishing with 46 digs, and Rikki Buckshnis controlled the net with four total blocks.
Seattle took a 2-1 lead and looked to close the match in four games, but saw its hitting percentage fall into the negative column in the fourth game, allowing Sonoma State to force the deciding fifth frame. Neither team earned more than a two-point lead in the fifth game, but was able to close the match as Buckshnis and Kendahl Batiste blocked Thompson’s kill attempt.
(1-3) plays its first home match of the season Wednesday, August 29, against at 7 p.m. at the . The Redhawks then face three more CCAA schools at ’s tournament next weekend before starting conference play at Seattle Pacific on September 6.