Jamie Mellies (Henderson, Nev.) and Cristin Richards (Olympia, Wash.) were named to the All-Tournament Team. Mellies finished the weekend with 151 assists (10.8 assists/set), 27 digs, and 13 total blocks. Richards, named to an all-tournament team for the third consecutive weekend, collected 48 kills (3.4 kills/set), 29 digs, and eight block assists over the past two days.
"We played two very up-and-down long five-game matches against spirited opponents. Our team fought hard all day. We keep getting better but there are some key areas where we still need to grow and mature," head coach Shannon Ellis said after the Wyoming match. "We are excited to come back and play in Connolly (Center) with our fantastic fans to support us."
Seattle U 3, Gonzaga 2
Seattle University dominated the first two sets, while Gonzaga University came back and controlled sets three and four before the Redhawks recovered, using the experience they gained in six previous five-set matches to win the fifth set and the match, 3-2 (25-18, 25-12, 12-25, 20-25, 15-7), Saturday afternoon.
Sarah Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) once again led the Redhawks, finishing with 19 kills, a .326 hitting percentage, 13 digs, and three block assists. Richards earned 17 kills, 18 digs, and four total blocks, while Janet Beckerman (Bellevue, Wash.) contributed 12 kills and four total blocks and Allison Farley (Happy Valley, Ore.) added nine kills and a team-high six block assists to the winning effort.
Mellies once again ran a varied offense, finishing with 58 assists along with two kills, nine digs, and three total blocks, including two solo blocks. Emily Deleissegues (Aromas, Calif.) finished with 13 digs, and Lani Beadle (Seattle, Wash.) collected 12 defensive digs along with three service aces.
Seattle U started the fifth set on a 5-1 run which began and ended with kills by Jaeckel, and the freshman finished off the set and the match with back-to-back kills. After struggling offensively in the previous two sets, the Redhawks posted a .500 hitting percentage in the deciding set while holding Gonzaga to only four kills in 19 attack attempts.
The Redhawks won the first three points of the match thanks in part to a kill by Beckerman and a block from Jaeckel and Farley. Later in the set, Seattle U scored five unanswered points to take a commanding 14-6 lead, and Jaeckel would earn a kill to finish off the first set in the Redhawks' favor.
Seattle University did not make an attack error in the second set, posting a .485 hitting percentage by going 16-for-33 in attack attempts. A 14-2 run early in the set gave Seattle U a comfortable lead, and the Redhawks cruised to the second set victory, punctuated by a Richards kill to go up in the match, 2-0.
Gonzaga (2-12) turned the tables on Seattle U in the third set, going on top 8-2 and then going on a 6-1 run to take a commanding 16-5 lead. The Bulldogs won the final two points of the set on a kill by Jessie Genger and a service ace from Kristina Lavrisha.
In the fourth set, Gonzaga jumped out to a 10-5 advantage and kept Seattle U at bay, not allowing the Redhawks to come any closer than three points behind. The Bulldogs would win three of the last four points to force the deciding set, highlighted by kills from Kaprina Goodwin, Meredith Crenshaw, and Denise Van de Mortel.
Caitlin Cozad was the only Gonzaga player to finish in double figures in kills with 12, plus she collected four assists, six digs, and five block assists. Van de Mortel notched 34 assists and eight digs, and Allyson Powell led all players in the match with 20 defensive digs.
Wyoming 3, Seattle U 2
After losing the first two sets, Seattle University battled back, tying Wyoming at two sets apiece and forcing a deciding fifth set, but the Cowgirls were able to pull through, winning the Zags Volleyball Classic with a 3-2 victory (25-20, 25-6, 22-25, 21-25, 15-11) Saturday evening.
Julia Bonadio (Phoenix, Ariz.) came off the bench and helped lead the Redhawk comeback, finishing with 15 kills, seven digs, and three total blocks. Richards also earned 15 kills, while Jaeckel contributed 10 kills, three service aces, and eight digs. Mellies dished out 43 assists, plus she picked up 10 defensive digs and four block assists, Jordan Keller (Mukilteo, Wash.) led the team at the net with six total blocks, and Deleissegues contributed 13 digs.
Seattle University came out in the third set with newfound confidence, scoring six of the first seven points. Three straight kills by Bonadio and a Cowgirl attack error opened the Seattle U lead to 18-12, but Wyoming went on an 8-1 scoring run to pull ahead, 20-19. Three kills each for Richards and Jaeckel during a 6-2 run allowed the Redhawks to extend the match.
Bonadio continued her solid play into the fourth set with two kills and a block assist during Seattle U's 5-0 run to put the team on top, 7-2. Down 24-17, Wyoming held off set point with two kills and a service ace, but Bonadio finally closed out the fourth set with a kill to bring the Redhawks into a fifth set for the eighth time this season.
A kill by Jaeckel and a block from Farley and Mellies gave Seattle U the early lead in the fifth set, but Wyoming battled back, scoring four unanswered points to pull ahead, 6-3. After a group block brought the Redhawks within one at 8-7, a kill by Reese Roehrkasse and consecutive kills by Jodi Purdy gave the Cowgirls a comfortable 11-7 advantage. Wyoming closed out the set and the match with a kill by Purdy and a kill from Lauren Whitney.
Wyoming (14-1) won the first three points of the match, but Seattle U went on a 6-2 run to take the lead, 9-8. The Cowgirls responded with five unanswered points to take the lead for good, and although the Redhawks came within one at 20-19 on a kill by Beckerman, Wyoming closed out the set by earning five of the last six points in the opening set.
The Cowgirls dominated the second set, earning a .632 hitting percentage on 12-of-19 attack attempts as they closed out the set by outscoring the Redhawks, 19-2. As a result in part of 12 attack errors, the six points were the least amount of points scored by Seattle U in a single set since the number of points needed for victory was changed from 30 to 25 before the 2008 season.
Purdy led Wyoming with 13 kills, plus she earned two service aces, nine digs, and four block assists, while Camille Coffman finished with 10 kills, a .444 hitting percentage, and three block assists. Roehrkasse and JennaRae Jester each contributed eight kills and eight total blocks, Whitney also had eight kills along with five block assists, and Barbara Lasic took over the setting duties late in the match, ending with 34 assists along with nine digs. Libero Jadranka Tramosljanin, named the tournament MVP, led all players with 26 defensive digs.
Seattle University (6-8) will not have much time to rest before facing three straight West Coast Conference opponents over the next week. The stretch begins Tuesday, Sept. 21, as the Redhawks host the Portland Pilots at the Connolly Center in a 7 p.m. contest. Seattle U will then head to the Bay Area next weekend to visit the University of San Francisco (Sept. 25) and Santa Clara (Sept. 26).