DO YOU KNOW THE WAY ...: The Seattle University volleyball team heads to northern California for a weekend tournament hosted by San Jose State. The Redhawks will face Big West school Cal State Northridge, fellow independent Cal State Bakersfield, and the host Spartans of the Western Athletic Conference. Seattle U comes into the weekend with confidence after pushing nationally-ranked Oregon to five sets on Labor Day.
ASU SHERATON CLASSIC: Seattle University headed to Tempe, Ariz., for the ASU Sheraton Classic last weekend. Arizona State won the first two sets of the Friday afternoon match before Seattle U charged back in the third set, going on a 7-2 run to take an 11-6 lead. Three kills by Cristin Richards and a service ace from Jamie Mellies further extended the lead to 15-8, and the Redhawks took advantage of three straight Arizona State errors to win four of the last five points of the set. Scoring runs of 7-2 and 6-0 allowed the Sun Devils to cruise to the fourth-set victory, clinching the match. After losing the first two sets to Utah State Friday evening, Seattle U scored four unanswered points early in the third set to take a 7-4 lead. A 5-0 run late in the set brought about set point, and Sarah Jaeckel finally ended the set with a kill to extend the contest. The Redhawks made only one attack error in the fourth set, making up an 8-3 deficit with five straight points and then putting the set away by outscoring the Aggies, 16-4. In the fifth set, a kill by Liz McArthur gave Utah State an advantage it would not relinquish. Saturday morning, Seattle U was swept by San Diego State. The first set was the most competitive, as Seattle U rallied from a 5-1 deficit to eventually take the lead at 13-11 on back-to-back kills by Richards and Kelly Biette. San Diego State went on a 7-1 run to take the lead for good, and consecutive kills by Paije Pearson and Andrea Hannasch closed out the set for the Aztecs. San Diego State won the first four points of the second set and never looked back. In the third set, the Aztecs scored six unanswered points to pull out to a 10-5 advantage, and after Seattle U cut its deficit to two at 10-8, San Diego State went on scoring runs of 6-3 and 5-1 to complete the sweep.
THE OREGON MATCH: The Seattle University volleyball team nearly pulled off its greatest upset since starting the reclassification process to Division I, but 19th-ranked Oregon showed why it is one of the top teams in the country, coming from behind for a 3-2 victory (25-15, 18-25, 19-25, 25-12, 15-9) Monday night at the Connolly Center. Janet Beckerman led the way with a career-high 16 kills and a .343 hitting percentage, plus she collected four block assists. Sarah Jaeckel contributed 14 kills, five digs, and three block assists, and Cristin Richards also finished with 14 kills along with 13 digs for her sixth double-double of the season.
LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD: Senior setter Jamie Mellies is one of 30 candidates selected for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for volleyball. The award is given to a senior who has notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character, and competition. Mellies has a 3.921 cumulatuive grade point average while majoring in civil engineering and minoring in mathematics. She has volunteered at the Rotary Boys and Girls Club as well as at the Community Lunch in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle. She has been the starting setter since the second match of her freshman year and just collected her 3,000th career assist. As for character, she has shown leadership with her actions throughout her Seattle University career.
SCOUTING CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE: The Matadors enter the weekend with a 2-4 record, earning their first victories of the season last weekend at the Sacramento State Invitational. Natalie Allen leads the team with 88 kills and eight service aces, plus she has a .301 hitting percentage, 49 digs, and 19 total blocks. Monica McFarland has contributed 73 kills, a .305 hitting percentage, and a team-high 83 defensive digs. Sam Orlandini leads the way with 199 assists, Nicole Jarvis is the team leader in blocks with 21 total blocks, and Karina Woehrstein has accumulated 80 digs so far this season.
SCOUTING CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD: The Roadrunners are 0-7 heading into their home opener Thursday night against nationally-ranked UCLA. Lindy DeGeare leads the team with 73 kills, plus she has collected eight service aces, 44 digs, and 11 total blocks. Haleigh Haratyk has contributed 49 kills, a team-high nine service aces, and 59 defensive digs. The setting duties have been split between Danielle Gong (116 assists) and Samantha Whittington (94 assists). Defensively, Chelcy Motes leads the team at the net with 17 total blocks, while Lauren Holderman paces the squad in the back with 77 digs.
SCOUTING SAN JOSE STATE: The Spartans enter the weekend with a 1-6 record after losing to Sacramento State in three sets on Tuesday. San Jose State's only victory so far this season came against UC Riverside last Friday. Hanah Blume leads the team with 57 kills, while Alex Akana is right behind her with 45 kills along with a team-high 18 total blocks. Caitlin Andrade has dished out 191 assists so far this season, and Courtney Zellmer leads the way in the back with 104 defensive digs. The Spartans have notched only 16 service aces so far this season.
ALL-TIME VS. OPPONENTS: Seattle University lost to Cal State Northridge in three sets (25-23, 25-10, 26-24) on Aug. 30, 2008, during the Boise State Bronco Invitational. This will be the fourth meeting all-time between Seattle U and Cal State Bakersfield, with the Roadrunners holding a 2-1 series edge after the two teams split its meetings in Bakersfield last season. Friday night's contest will be the first of at least four meetings between the Redhawks and the Roadrunners this season, with two matches in Bakersfield Nov. 5-6 and at least one contest in Seattle Nov. 19 still on the docket. At the 2009 Invitational at Seattle, the Redhawks defeated San Jose State, 3-1 (25-20, 17-25, 25-22, 25-19), on Aug. 29, 2009, at the Connolly Center.
MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS: In the career kills list, Cristin Richards moved into fifth place last weekend at Arizona State:
4. Megan Kaysinger (2001-04) 1,102
5. Cristin Richards (2008-present) 803
6. Libby Graff (2005-08) 775
7. Janeen Fitzgerald (2002-05) 770
8. Nicki Wolfert (1999-01) 739
In the all-time digs category, senior Emily Deleissegues moved into fifth place with her first dig of the season, with Jamie Mellies moving into ninth place as well:
4. Erika Brunson (2001-04) 1,145
5. Emily Deleissegues (2007-present) 1,012
6. Lora Burris (2000-03) 918
7. Cassey Hussey (2000-03) 874
8. Nikole Thompson (2004-07) 869
9. Jamie Mellies (2007-present) 753
10. Marissa Vierra (2002-06) 727
Current SeattleU players Jamie Mellies and Janet Beckerman are in the top ten list for total blocks, with Mellies sitting in fifth place and Beckerman advancing into sixth place last weekend:
4. Amelie Krahn (2001-04) 232
5. Jamie Mellies (2007-present) 209
6. Janet Beckerman (2007-present) 179
7. Sarah Sommerman (2002-05) 177
8. Josie Christiansen (2004-07) 158
9. Erika Brunson (2001-04) 149
10. Emily Powell (2006-08) 147
REACHING MILESTONES: With a kill by Janet Beckerman to make the score 9-6 in Seattle U's favor in the third set of the Aug. 28 match against Mercer, Jamie Mellies picked up her 3,000th career assist, becoming the second player in school history to reach that mark. She joins Erica Brunson, who played from 2001 to 2004, in that exclusive club. Mellies has 3,157 career assists entering the weekend tournament at San Jose State 747 assists behind Brunson (3,904) on the Seattle U all-time list. With at least 25 matches remaining in the 2010 season, Mellies needs to average 30 assists per match to pass Brunson. This past Monday at the Connolly Center, with a dig during the final point of the first set, Emily Deleissegues earned her 1,000th career dig, the fifth player in school history to reach that mark. Although the all-time digs leader, Maggie Safranski, is probably out of reach with 2,008 career digs, Deleissegues can move into second place on the list with just 170 more digs.