TRAVELING THE OREGON TRAIL: After spending the first weekend of the season at home, the SeattleU volleyball squad embarks on its first road trip of the 2009 season. The team will leave Friday morning for Eugene, Ore., where the #14 Oregon Ducks will be waiting for them to take part in a 7 p.m. match that night. Saturday, the road trip continues as the squad heads to Corvallis, Ore., for the Active Ankle Challenge hosted by Oregon State. Saturday night, SeattleU will face Big Ten school Wisconsin at 6 p.m. The next day, Oregon State hosts the Redhawks at 12:30 p.m., with a 5 p.m. match against Cal State Fullerton serving as the team's final match of the weekend.
THE INVITATIONAL AT SEATTLE: Seattle University and the University of Washington welcomed San Diego State and San Jose State to the Pacific Northwest for a tournament held at both UW's Bank of America Arena and SU's Connolly Center. Friday night, San Diego State used a balanced offense to sweep Seattle University with identical 25-19 scores in each set. Cristin Richards led the Redhawks with 11 kills, while Kelly Biette and Jamie Mellies earned five total blocks each. Saturday morning, the fourth-ranked Washington Huskies made the short drive to the Connolly Center and took care of business with a three-game sweep. Richards finished with nine kills and 12 digs, while Emily Deleissegues faced down the big Husky hitters and collected 13 defensive digs. Seattle University broke through into the win column Saturday night, picking up a 3-1 victory over San Jose State. Richards again paced the Redhawks with 11 kills, but Jordan Keller was the impact player of the match, finishing with 10 kills, three digs, and seven total blocks. Jessica Gunderson also made a significant contribution, earning six kills to go along with a career-high three service aces. As a team, Seattle University posted a .222 hitting percentage and collected 9.5 team blocks.
SCOUTING OREGON: The Ducks stayed in the same spot at #14 in the AVCA poll after winning all three matches during the first weekend of the season. In the Oregon Classic, the home team swept San Francisco, Eastern Washington, and Missouri State. As a team, Oregon posted a .352 hitting percentage over the weekend and also averaged 2.78 aces and 3.11 blocks per set. Sonja Newcombe led the Ducks with 30 kills and 25 digs, plue she earned nine blocks and a .343 hitting percentage. Neticia Enesi finished with a .562 hitting percentage during the tournament and also led the team with 17 total blocks in the three matches. Setter Nevena Djordjevic posted an even 100 assists over the weekend and also earned 12 digs and 11 blocks.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN: The Badgers hosted the InnTowner Invitational over the weekend, sandwiching a sweep of South Dakota around losses to Duke and Ohio. Allison Wack led the way for Wisconsin with 42 kills to go along with 24 digs and five total blocks. Kirby Toon earned 38 kills, 19 digs, and six total blocks, while Kelsey Maloney led the team with eight blocks and a .429 hitting percentage. Setter Janelle Gabrielsen finished with a team-high 116 assists and three aces along with 27 digs, and libero Kim Kuzma paced the Badgers with 52 defensive digs. Brittney Dolgner is also contributing to the early-season play of Wisconsin with 21 kills and 20 digs over the first weekend of the season.
SCOUTING OREGON STATE: The Beavers, playing their first home matches of the season, come into the weekend with a 3-1 record, including a victory at Colorado State, which was ranked #24 at the time. Wednesday night, Oregon State defeated Portland in three sets. Rachel Rourke leads the team with 62 kills, plus she is tied for second on the squad with nine total blocks. Jill Sawatzky has 50 kills, a team-high four service aces, and 43 digs. Setter Camilla Ah-Hoy also has 43 digs to go along with 149 assists. Kiersten Sambrailo leads the way with 18 total blocks, while Betsy Devich paces the team defensively with 54 digs.
SCOUTING CAL STATE FULLERTON: The Titans dropped the first set in both the Lamar and Idaho matches and was behind the Vandals, 2-1, before pulling out victories in both contests. Erin Saddler is averaging 5.42 kills per set, finishing with 65 kills as well as 38 digs and eight total blocks. Alex Wolnisty earned 34 kills, a .385 hitting percentage, and nine total blocks over the weekend. Setter Andrea Ragan collected 146 assists over the three matches. Defensively, Cami Croteau leads the way with 53 digs, with Ashley Collier contributing 28 digs.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS: Seattle University faced both Oregon and Oregon State last season. The Beavers served as SeattleU's first home opponent on Sept. 2, 2008, and came away with a 3-0 victory. Oregon, ranked #12 at the time, hosted the Redhawks on Sept. 14, 2008, and also picked up a 3-0 win. SeattleU will be facing both Wisconsin and Cal State Fullerton for the first time.The Titans won the Crowns Plaza Titan Classic after posting victories over Lamar, Appalachian State, and Idaho during the opening weekend of play.