Seattle University took an early four-point lead in the first set, but San Diego State came back, taking the lead for good midway through the opening set on a kill by Paije Pearson. Lauren Salisbury and Andrea Hannasch closed out the first set for the Aztecs with back-to-back kills.
In the second set, the Redhawks went on a 7-1 run to open a 12-5 advantage and force San Diego State into taking a timeout. A kill by Richards gave SeattleU a 17-10 lead, but the Aztecs would go on a 13-2 run to gain the momentum, and back-to-back kills by Salisbury and Hannah Evans gave the visitors a 2-0 lead heading into the ten-minute break.
The two teams traded points early in the third set before a kill by Salisbury gave San Diego State the lead for good. SeattleU pulled within three late in the set, but kills by Salisbury and Kyley Sexton as well as an attack error from the Redhawks closed out the set and the match in the Aztecs' favor.
Besides Richards' 11 kills and two blocks, Janet Beckerman (Bellevue, Wash.) earned six kills and two blocks. Mellies picked up 22 assists, a service ace, and five digs to go along with her five blocks, while Jordan Keller (Mukilteo, Wash.) contributed four blocks. Libero Emily Deleissegues (Aromas, Calif.) led the way with 16 digs as well as two service aces.
San Diego State (1-0) was led by Hannasch, who earned 12 kills and a .625 hitting percentage, while Pearson finished with ten kills, a .562 hitting percentage, and four blocks, and Salisbury added ten kills, a .400 hitting percentage, and five blocks to the winning cause. Setter Lauren Van Orden picked up 44 assists, and libero Kristi Jackels collected 13 digs and two service aces.
Seattle University (0-1) hosts fourth-ranked Washington Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Connolly Center and concludes the tournament with a match against San Jose State Saturday night at 7 p.m.