Cristin Richards (Olympia, Wash.) led all players with 27 kills, including seven kills in the deciding fifth set, plus she earned two service aces, nine digs, and three block assists. The 27 kills earned by the junior was the third-highest total in a single match for a Seattle U player. Jordan Keller (Mukilteo, Wash.) also made history with a solo block and nine block assists, tied for the second-most block assists as well as tied for the second-most total blocks (10) in a match by a Redhawk player.
"Tonight was a great win," Richards said. "It's always good to come from behind and win, especially in front of such a great crowd."
In front of many student-athletes on the eve of the start of the fall quarter, Seattle U used two kills by Allison Farley (Happy Valley, Ore.) and one kill from Julia Bonadio (Phoenix, Ariz.), as well as two Portland attack errors, to take an 8-3 lead in the fourth set. The Pilots went on a 5-1 run to come within one at 19-18, but the Redhawks closed the fourth set with a 6-2 scoring run of their own to tie the match and force the fifth set.
Portland (6-9) took the lead in the fifth set thanks in part to a kill and a service ace by Kate Bostwick that put the Pilots up, 8-4. A block by Keller, a kill from Richards, and two kills by Janet Beckerman (Bellevue, Wash.) were part of a 5-0 Redhawk run that put the home team in the lead. With the score tied at 13-13, Seattle U closed out the match with kills by Bonadio and Beckerman.
"It was a tough match, but we battled from beginning to end, and I am happy that the team came away with a win," head coach Shannon Ellis said. "Cristin had a great night on the outside for us. Our fans were amazing, and it was a great environment to play in."
The first set of the match could have gone either way, as there were 17 ties and 10 lead changes. Beckerman earned a kill and combined with Farley on two blocks to give the Redhawks an 11-8 lead, but the Pilots responded with four unanswered points on two Seattle U attack errors and two kills by Bostwick. A kill by Farley gave Seattle U a chance to serve for the first set, but Portland responded with kills by Ariel Usher and Marissa Plummer as well as a service ace from Danielle Dupar to earn the first set victory.
The Pilots held the lead in the second set, going up by as much as five points at 13-8, but once again the play at the net brought the Redhawks back, as three blocks along with two kills and a service ace for Richards helped Seattle U go on a 10-1 run to pull ahead, 18-14. Seattle U scored the final four points of the set thanks to a Portland attack error followed by a kill by Keller and two kills for Richards to tie the match at one set apiece.
"We made some adjustments with our block, and it showed early on," said Ellis, commenting about the fact that Seattle U collected 10½ team blocks over the first two sets.
Portland's best set offensively came in the third set, as the Pilots posted a .400 hitting percentage, led by Usher's 9-for-13 performance without an attack error in the set. An 8-2 run early in the set allowed Portland to pull out in front, 13-6, and after Seattle U scored three unanswered points to pull within three at 20-17, Kati Hronek led the charge with three kills as the Pilots closed out the set by scoring five of the last six points.
Beckerman finished the night with 12 kills and six block assists, while Farley and Sarah Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) each earned six kills and two block assists. Jamie Mellies (Henderson, Nev.) collected 49 assists and 13 digs, and Emily Deleissegues (Aromas, Calif.) led the Redhawks with 14 defensive digs.
Usher led Portland with 21 kills and a .390 hitting percentage, plus she earned nine digs. Madison Smith ran a varied offense, finishing with 63 assists as four different Pilots reached double figures in kills, including 15 kills by Plummer, 14 kills from Bostwick, and 12 kills by Hronek. Dupar kept Portland in numerous rallies, notching 40 defensive digs during the match.
Seattle University (7-8) continues its run of West Coast Conference opponents over the weekend with a trip to the Bay Area. First, Seattle U takes on San Francisco Saturday, Sept. 25, at 5 p.m., followed by a contest against Santa Clara Sunday, Sept. 26, at 1 p.m. This is the beginning of a four-match road swing for the Redhawks, who don't return to the Connolly Center until Saturday, Oct. 9, against Idaho State.