LACEY, Wash. ? The Seattle University volleyball team enjoyed one of its best hitting matches of the season, hitting at a .260 percentage as five players reached double figures in kills in Seattle’s 3-1 victory (30-19, 31-29, 27-30, 30-19) over Saint Martin’s Thursday night in GNAC action at the SMU Pavilion.
Seattle University took the early game one lead, as Kelly Benson (Mission Viejo, Calif.) earned two consecutive kills, followed by a block by Benson and Josie Christiansen (Coquille, Ore.). Christiansen followed with back-to-back kills to put the Redhawks up 11-4. Emily Powell (Puyallup, Wash.) earned three kills during a stretch in which Seattle made the lead double digits, cruising to the 30-19 victory in the opening game.
Saint Martin’s (1-19, 1-9 GNAC) took the early game two lead, as the Saints’ offense earned several kills to build a 12-5 lead. After Seattle scored four consecutive points, Saint Martin’s went on a 6-1 run to open an 18-10 advantage and force a Redhawk timeout. The visitors started chipping away at the lead, eventually tying the game at 24-24. After an exchange of points, Seattle was able to pull out the second game on a Nikole Thompson (Marysville, Wash.) kill and Benson’s third block of the match.
The Saints also jumped on top after the intermission, going on a 7-0 run early in the third game to take a 15-5 lead. Seattle came within three at 27-24, but two Saint kills gave the hosts game point. A kill by Powell and two Benson kills kept Seattle alive, but Saint Martin’s ended the game with a kill for the 30-27 win.
Determined to end the match in four games, Seattle pulled ahead 15-9 midway through the fourth game. After back-to-back kills by Saint Martin’s, Seattle scored seven of the next eight points to extend its advantage to 23-13. After Saint Martin’s scored three consecutive points, the Redhawks closed out the match on a 7-3 run, thanks in part to two Benson kills and two aces by Donnelle Nicaise (Enumclaw, Wash.).
Benson finished with a season-high 17 kills, with Thompson close behind with 16 kills and Libby Graff (Beaverton, Ore.) finishing with 15 kills. From the middle, Powell picked up 12 kills and Christensen earned ten kills, each making only two attack errors during the match. Setter Jamie Mellies (Henderson, Nev.) finished with 55 assists, two service aces, and 11 digs.
Emily Deleissegues (Aromas, Calif.) led all players with 26 digs, while Thompson finished with 13 digs and Shelly Anderson (Bothell, Wash.) contributed 11 digs. Christensen also finished the night with six total blocks, tops for all players in the match.
Seattle University (8-10, 5-5 GNAC) travels to Monmouth, Ore., to face Western Oregon Saturday, Oct. 13, beginning at 7 p.m. The Redhawks return home to face Alaska Fairbanks next Thursday, Oct. 18 at the Connolly Center, also beginning at 7 p.m.