MORE BIG SKY ACTION: Monday's sweep of Eastern Washington started a stretch in which Seattle U will face four Big Sky schools in the next five matches. That continues Thursday with a road contest at Portland State, followed by a home match against Idaho State Saturday night. Several Redhawk players are close to either reaching major milestones (Cristin Richards needs five kills to reach 1,000 for her career) or moving up the Redhawk all-time lists (Emily Deleissegues in digs, four different players in blocks).
LAST WEEK: In an exhibition match against Canadian school Trinity Western, Seattle U won the first set but was sluggish the rest of the way, losing to the Spartans in four sets (20-25, 25-21, 26-24, 25-19). Sarah Jaeckel led the team with 17 kills, with Julia Bonadio earning 10 kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Sarah Lewicki was the setter for the first three sets, earning 32 assists. A more focused Redhawk team took the Reese Court floor Monday night and swept Eastern Washington (25-19, 25-20, 25-12), sweeping the season series from the Eagles. Cristin Richards finished with 19 kills and only one attack error in 40 attempts for a career-high .450 hitting percentage, plus she earned eight digs and three block assists. Jordan Keller contributed five kills and a match-high eight total blocks, while Emily Deleissegues led the back line with ten defensive digs. Setter Jamie Mellies ran a solid offense, collecting 31 assists along with two service aces and four digs.
MAKING HISTORY: During Seattle U's 3-2 victory over the Portland Pilots on Sept. 21, two Redhawk players notched single-match totals that few players before them had reached. Junior Cristin Richards finished with 27 kills, the third-most kills in a match for Seattle University and the most since Nikole Thompson earned 29 kills against Western Oregon on Sept. 13, 2007. At the net, junior Jordan Keller earned one solo block and nine block assists for ten total blocks. The nine block assists tied for the second-most in a match by a Seattle U player, as did the ten total blocks. Only Emily Powell's 12 blocks against Alaska-Fairbanks on Sept. 22, 2007, topped Keller's rejection rate. With 309 kills so far this season, Richards is five kills away from entering the top ten list for most kills in a single season, while Keller, with 87 total blocks, is on pace to break the single-season blocks record of 107.
SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE: The Vikings come into Thursday's match with an 8-7 overall record, including a 4-1 record in Big Sky conference play that puts the team in second place in the league standings. Portland State had a five-match winning streak snapped by Sacramento State last Saturday. Whitney Phillips leads the team offensively with 299 kills, earning almost five kills per set. She also leads the squad with 19 service aces and is second on the team with 161 digs. Christie Hamilton has earned 106 kills, while Lana Zielke has 100 kills and a team-high 66 total blocks. Garyn Schlatter leads the team with 491 assists, and Diana Villalpando is the team leader in digs with 175 defensive digs.
SCOUTING IDAHO STATE: The Bengals come into the weekend with a 10-7 overall record, including a 3-3 record in Big Sky play. Idaho State lost a four-set match at Boise State Tuesday night and is slated to face Sacramento State Friday night before coming to Seattle for Saturday's match. Haylee Thompson-Brock leads the team with 235 kills, with Britta Bartschi-Rhodehouse right behind her with 162 kills. Lori Mendenhall leads the team with 477 assists, but Karissa Legaux has seemingly taken over the setting duties, collecting 185 assists so far this season. Sarah Carson leads the team with 14 service aces and 64 total blocks, while Jenna Proost leads the way with 239 defensive digs.
ALL-TIME VS. PORTLAND STATE: Portland State has won all three meetings over Seattle University since the Redhawks started the Division I reclassification process in 2008. The Vikings defeated the Redhawks, 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-18) during the Portland State Volleyball Showcase on Sept. 13, 2008. On Oct. 7, 2009, at the Connolly Center in Seattle, Portland State earned a 3-0 victory (25-19, 25-23, 25-19). Seattle U finally won a set over the Vikings during the meeting earlier this season at the Invitational at Seattle, but the Vikings prevailed in four sets (28-26, 25-22, 26-28, 25-18).
ALL-TIME VS. IDAHO STATE: Idaho State has won both meetings over Seattle U in Pocatello, Idaho. On Oct. 31, 2008, the Bengals took a 2-0 lead, but the Redhawks came back to force a fifth set before Idaho State pulled out the 3-2 victory (25-20, 27-25, 22-25, 26-28, 15-13). On Oct. 16, 2009, Idaho State swept Seattle U, 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-19).
ALL-TIME VS. BIG SKY: With Monday's victory at Eastern Washington, Seattle U is now 3-8 against Big Sky schools since 2008.
MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS: In the career kills list, Cristin Richards moved into fifth place at the ASU Sheraton Classic:
3. Lizzy Safranski (2001-04) 1,133
4. Megan Kaysinger (2001-04) 1,102
5. Cristin Richards (2008-present) 995
On Sept. 6 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. In the all-time digs category, Deleissegues moved into fourth place at Santa Clara last Sunday, with Jamie Mellies moving into ninth place as well:
1. Maggie Safranski (2002-05) 2,008
2. Lizzy Safranski (2001-04) 1,181
3. Melissa Mulick (2003-06) 1,175
4. Emily Deleissegues (2007-present) 1,162
5. Erika Brunson (2001-04) 1,145
6. Lora Burris (2000-03) 918
7. Cassey Hussey (2000-03) 874
8. Nikole Thompson (2004-07) 869
9. Jamie Mellies (2007-present) 843
Current Seattle U players Jamie Mellies, Janet Beckerman, Jordan Keller, and Cristin Richards are all in the top ten list for total blocks, with Mellies sitting in fourth place, Keller advancing into sixth place, Beckerman moving into seventh place, and Richards now in tenth place:
1. Lizzy Safranski (2001-04) 352
2. Janeen Fitzgerald (2002-05) 297
3. Libby Graff (2005-08) 247
4. Jamie Mellies (2007-present) 236
5. Amelie Krahn (2001-04) 232
6. Jordan Keller (2008-present) 220
7. Janet Beckerman (2007-present) 219
8. Sarah Sommerman (2002-05) 177
9. Josie Christiansen (2004-07) 158
10. Cristin Richards (2008-present) 152
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.
1. Erica Brunson (2001-04) 3,904
2. Jamie Mellies (2007-present) 3,629