Freshman Sarah Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) led the way in both matches, earning a season-high 21 kills, two service aces, and 11 digs against Cal State Northridge before posting 13 kills and eight digs against Cal State Bakersfield. Cristin Richards (Olympia, Wash.) earned 15 kills and 15 digs against the Matadors before collecting 11 kills and nine digs versus the Roadrunners, and Janet Beckerman (Bellevue, Wash.) contributed 14 kills and five blocks assists in the morning match along with eight kills in the evening contest.
After losing the last four points of the second set and allowing Cal State Northridge to take the match lead, Seattle University went on a 5-0 run early in the fourth set to pull ahead, 9-6. After the Matadors cut the lead to one at 17-16, Jaeckel earned a kill and a service ace to start the set-ending 8-1 run, which concluded with a block by Jamie Mellies (Henderson, Nev.) and Jordan Keller (Mukilteo, Wash.).
Seattle U hit .407 in the fifth set, taking the lead early in the deciding set and then using a kill by Richards to bring about match point at 14-13. However, Cal State Northridge took advantage of a service error and a kill to go on top, 15-14, and put itself on the brink of victory. Richards earned back-to-back kills and then joined with Keller on a block at the net that closed out the match.
Keller finished the Cal State Northridge match with seven kills and six block assists, while Julia Bonadio (Phoenix, Ariz.) earned eight kills and four digs. Mellies dished out 57 assists along with 14 digs and three total blocks, Emily Deleissegues (Aromas, Calif.) notched 15 digs and three service aces, and Megan Augustavo (Shoreline, Wash.) added 10 digs to the winning effort.
In its second match of the day, Seattle University used back-to-back aces by Deleissegues to take an 11-6 lead, but Cal State Bakersfield scored five unanswered points to pull into a tie. After a timeout by Seattle U late in the set, Richards and Jaeckel earned kills, and three Roadrunner errors clinched the first set for the Redhawks.
An 8-1 run midway through the second set and an 8-2 scoring run to close out the set gave Seattle U a 2-0 advantage in the match. There were 12 ties and six lead changes in the third set, but three kills by Jaeckel and one from Richards allowed the Redhawks to score four of the final five points of the set and the match.
Mellies played a solid all-around match against the Roadrunners, finishing with 35 assists, three kills, five digs, and two block assists. Keller earned five kills, three service aces, and two total blocks, Deleissegues contributed 12 digs and two service aces, and Augustavo posted 10 digs along with two service aces of her own.
"It feels good to win and it feels even better to see the things we work on in practice show in competition," head coach Shannon Ellis said. "We just need to keep improving every day. Today was a good day, and hopefully tomorrow will be a little better."
Seattle University (4-5) will look for its third straight victory as it faces host school San Jose State Saturday, Sept. 11, at 11 a.m. The Redhawks will then return home and welcome Oregon State to the Connolly Center Wednesday, Sept. 15, for a 6 p.m. contest.