For the second consecutive night, the Seattle University volleyball team could not overcome a slow start, as Gonzaga earned a 3-0 victory (25-17, 25-19, 25-22) Wednesday night at the Martin Centre.
Jessica Gunderson (, ) led with eight kills, while Cristin Richards () finished with seven kills, a service ace, three digs, and three total blocks. Jamie Mellies (, ) notched 20 assists, three service aces, six digs, and two total blocks, and libero Shelly Anderson () led the defense with eight digs.
With the score tied 9-9 in the first set, Gonzaga went on a 11-4 run to open a 20-13 lead, thanks in part to three straight blocks, two of them by the combination of Caitlin Cozad and Denise Van de Mortel. The two teams basically exchanged points the rest of the way, with the Bulldogs closing out the set on a kill by Elaina Renius.
The second set was marked by a series of runs, as Gonzaga took a 6-2 lead before scored the next five points, starting with a kill and concluding with an ace from Richards. The Bulldogs opened an 11-8 lead, but the Redhawks fought back again to tie the set 15-15. Gonzaga scored the next four points on Redhawk errors, and the home team finished off the set with a kill and a block by Emily Johnson followed by a Renius kill.
Gonzaga (7-16) took a 20-15 lead in the third set as Renius earned three kills and a block during a 7-2 Bulldog run. did not quit, as kills by Jordan Keller (, ) and Gunderson were followed by a service ace from to bring the Redhawks within two at 20-18. Consecutive aces by Mellies and a Gunderson kill tied the third set, 22-22, but Gonzaga scored the last three points, with back-to-back blocks by Cozad and Layne Brosky ending the match.
Michelle Boevers led Gonzaga with 13 kills, plus she hit .458 for the match and earned two solo blocks. Renius finished with 11 kills and only one error in 14 attempts for a .714 hitting percentage, while Van de Mortel collected 34 assists, two aces, three digs, and five total blocks. Cozad also had five total blocks in the match, and Paige Dillingham led all players with 15 digs during the night.
(9-16) returns home and welcomes Cal State Bakersfield to the Saturday, Oct. 25, beginning at 7 p.m. The Roadrunners, now in Year Three of their reclassification to Division I, are coming off a home match against the University of the Pacific.