After losing the first two sets, the Seattle University women’s volleyball team came back to win the third set and threatened to extend the match further, but Cal State Bakersfield won the important points in set four to earn a 3-1 victory (25-14, 25-18, 25-27, 25-22) Saturday night at the Connolly Center.
Down 20-15 in the third set, started the comeback with back-to-back kills by Kaytlyn Dill (, ), followed by consecutive kills from Libby Graff () and Jordan Keller (Mukilteo, Wash.). CSU Bakersfield made four consecutive attack errors, the last one on a block by Graff and Janet Beckerman (), as Seattle took a 23-22 lead.
Cal State Bakersfield (13-10) earned back-to-back kills to force match point, but the Redhawks stayed alive with kills by Graff and Jamie Mellies (). After a kill by the Roadrunners, won the third set on a service error and an ace by Jessica Gunderson ()
There were 12 ties and five lead changes in the fourth set, with CSU Bakersfield scoring four unanswered points to take a 19-16 lead. Again, four straight attack errors by the Roadrunners allowed the Redhawks to go ahead, 20-19, but a kill by Lindy DeGeare gave the visiting team the lead for good, and kills by Rosemary Stribling and DeGeare finished off the set and the match.
Graff and Dill led with nine kills and two service aces each, with Graff also earning four blocks and Dill contributing eight digs and two blocks. Mellies led the team with 22 assists and 14 defensive digs, while Beckerman had five kills and four total blocks and Raissa Licano-Sanchez () led the way with five blocks assists.
For Cal State Bakersfield, Sarah Norman led all players with 20 kills, with Stribling contributing 15 kills. Barbie Thistle finished with 52 assists, five service aces, and six digs, while DeGeare collected eight kills, three aces, and nine digs and Alysia Baker contributed eight kills, two aces, four digs, and three total blocks. Libero Mystie McNaughton finished with 30 digs in the match.
(9-17) heads back on the road next weekend, starting with a trip to , , to face Thursday, Oct. 30, beginning at 7 p.m. local time, followed by matches at and . The Redhawks’ final home match of the season is Wednesday, Nov. 12, against Seattle Pacific beginning at 7 p.m. at the .