The Seattle University volleyball team came into form Saturday evening, as several players contributed to the Redhawks' 3-0 victory (25-19, 25-17, 25-22) over UC Riverside at the Pepperdine Asics Classic at Firestone Fieldhouse.
Offensively, Cristin Richards (Olympia, Wash.) again led the way with 12 kills, plus she earned nine digs and three block assists. Janet Beckerman (Bellevue, Wash.) had a solid all-around match, finishing with nine kills, a .471 hitting percentage, and three block assists. Setter Jamie Mellies (Henderson, Nev.) collected 27 assists, a service ace, nine digs, and four total blocks, while libero Emily Deleissegues (Aromas, Calif.) paced the back row with 17 defensive digs.
UC Riverside (1-7) came out of the intermission determined to extend the match, taking a 10-7 lead after two kills and a service ace from Dominique Cowling. The Highlanders maintained the slim lead until three kills and a block assist by Beckerman gave SeattleU a 20-18 advantage. After UC Riverside tied the set at 20-20, Beckerman and Kelly Biette (Brighton, Colo.) combined on a block, and Kaytlyn Dill (Bothell, Wash.) and Richards each earned kills to help the Redhawks close out the set and the match.
Seattle University took an early three-point lead in the first set thanks to two kills by Richards and one from Beckerman. Four more kills for Richards allowed the Redhawks to extend the advantage to six points at 15-9, which remained steady the rest of the set. SeattleU closed out the opening set on kills by Dill and Raissa Licano-Sanchez (Grandview, Wash.).
Licano-Sanchez, who tied her career high with six total blocks in the match, assisted on three blocks early in the second set to give SeattleU a 6-2 lead, but UC Riverside scored five of the next six points to tie the set at 7-7. The Highlanders would go on top, 14-12, midway through the set before the Redhawks scored four unanswered points to retake the lead. Back-to-back kills from Kelly Simpson brought UC Riverside into a 16-16 tie, after which SeattleU earned four blocks and three kills to score nine of the last ten points and take a 2-0 match lead into intermission.
Cowling was the star for UC Riverside, notching 18 kills, 16 digs, and two block assists. The Highlanders struggled in several areas, hitting .094 for the match, including ten team blocks for Seattle University, and committing 12 service errors.
Seattle University (2-7) concludes its participation in the Pepperdine Asics Classic Sunday, Sept. 13, against Army beginning at 12 noon. The California road trip continues next week with a Sept. 15 match at San Diego and three matches in a tournament hosted by Cal Poly next weekend. The Redhawks return home Tuesday, Sept. 22, to face North Dakota at the Connolly Center beginning at 7 p.m.