Despite a record-setting performance by Emily Powell (Puyallup, Wash.), the Seattle University volleyball team was unable to pull out another close match, losing to Northwest Nazarene, 3-2 (34-32, 19-30, 31-29, 28-30, 15-12), Saturday night at Johnson Sports Center.
Powell set new school records for most solo blocks and most total blocks in a match, earning seven solo blocks and three block assists for ten total blocks. She also notched 19 kills while making only three attack errors for a .421 hitting percentage and led Seattle with two service aces in the match.
Libby Graff (Beaverton, Ore.) led Seattle with 24 kills, with Nikole Thompson (Marysville, Wash.) contributing 17 kills and 11 digs. Jamie Mellies (Henderson, Nev.) assisted on 68 of Seattle’s 80 kills, plus she picked up 17 defensive digs. Emily Deleissegues (Aromas, Calif.) had one of the best defensive nights in Redhawk history, totaling 38 defensive digs, with Donnelle Nicaise (Enumclaw, Wash.) contributing 18 digs to the effort.
Seattle came from behind in game one and was serving for the game at 29-28 and 31-30, but three kills by Cammy Dranginis helped the Crusaders win the opening game. The Redhawks finished game two by outscoring Northwest Nazarene 17-6 to tie the match, but the Crusaders took the early 16-6 lead in game three and held off a Redhawk comeback to go up 2-1.
Northwest Nazarene (8-2, 2-0 GNAC) again took the early lead in game four, but Seattle again fought back, taking the lead late in the game and using a Crusader ball-handling error to force the fifth game. After scoring four of the first five points, Seattle allowed Northwest Nazarene to go on a 7-0 run, with Loni Evenson closing out the match with a kill for the home team.
Lindsay Forseth led the Crusaders with 17 kills, with Dranginis earning 16 kills and eight total blocks and Evenson contributing 15 kills and 13 digs. Allison James notched 54 assists to go along with five kills, three service aces, 16 digs, and five total blocks, while Jackie Bourdon led Northwest Nazarene with 33 digs and Kristy Wigren adding 21 digs to the winning effort.
Seattle University (3-7, 0-2 GNAC) returns to the Connolly Center to play its first conference home matches of the season next weekend. Thursday, Sept. 13, the Redhawks will host Western Oregon beginning at 7 p.m., followed by a matchup against Saint Martin’s on Saturday, Sept. 15, also at 7 p.m.