AND I HEADED OUT FOR BAKERSFIELD: After a 12-day break from competition, Seattle University brings a four-match overall and a three-match road winning streak into weekend matches at Cal State Bakersfield Friday and Saturday. In a quirk of scheduling, the Redhawks will face the Roadrunners at least four times this season, with a potential fifth meeting on the second day of the Independent Tournament. Also, Seattle U will face CSU Bakersfield three times in a row, with the third meeting taking place on the first day of the Independent Tournament in Seattle.
I'VE SPENT A THOUSAND MILES OF THUMBIN': It was a successful trip to Florida for Seattle University, as the Redhawks defeated North Florida, Jacksonville, and Stetson in succession Oct. 21-23. All three matches followed the same pattern, with Seattle University winning the first two sets, the opponent coming back to avoid the sweep by winning the third set, and the Redhawks pulling out the fourth set to win the match. Seattle University ended its match with North Florida the same way it started it, making only two attack errors in both the first and fourth sets on the way to a 3-1 victory (25-15, 25-17, 22-25, 25-21). Cristin Richards collected 19 kills along with a service ace, five digs, and four total blocks. Sarah Jaeckel notched a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs, while Janet Beckerman finished with 10 kills and Allison Farley contributed seven kills. Jamie Mellies had a solid all-around match with 41 assists, five kills, two service aces, and six digs. In the back, Emily Deleissegues led the way with 11 defensive digs. In a match that featured 50 ties and 22 lead changes, Seattle University used a career-best hitting performance from senior Beckerman as well as significant contributions from several other players to defeat Jacksonville University, 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 25-27, 31-29). Beckerman collected 15 kills in 25 attempts and made only two attack errors for a career-high hitting percentage of .520. Once again, Richards led the Redhawks with 19 kills, plus she had eight digs and five block assists. Record-setting performances by Mellies and Richards, especially in the fourth set, helped the Seattle University volleyball team complete a sweep of the Florida road trip, defeating Stetson University, 3-1 (25-14, 25-17, 20-25, 25-18). Jaeckel collected 14 kills and 10 digs, Beckerman contributed 11 kills, and Farley finished with nine kills and a .529 hitting percentage.
I JUST WANT A CHANCE TO BE MYSELF: The Seattle U volleyball team has rewritten the record book throughout the 2010 season. Cristin Richards notched the third-highest single-match kill total with 27 kills against Portland on Sept. 21, as well as the third-highest single-match hitting percentage, hitting .615 against Idaho State on Oct. 9. In the Portland match, Jordan Keller collected the second-highest total of both block assists and total blocks in a single match with nine block assists and ten total blocks. For the season, Richards now holds the record for most kills in a single season, going into the Cal State Bakersfield weekend with 427 kills. Keller has the new school records for most block assists in a single season (117) and most total blocks in a single season (121). Meanwhile, many current players have been climbing the career top ten lists, With a kill by Sarah Jaeckel to make the score 15-13 in the fourth set, Jamie Mellies became the school's all-time assist leader, now with 3,911 career assists. Mellies is also just 154 assists away from setting the new single-season school record, needing to average 22 assists per match in order to accomplish the feat. Emily Deleissegues will finish her Seattle U career with the second-most digs in school history. With still one full year plus the rest of this season to go, Richards is only 349 kills away from becoming the school's all-time leader in that category.
HERE ON THE STREETS OF BAKERSFIELD: The Roadrunners have a 0-24 record entering Thursday night's match at Loyola Marymount. Cal State Bakersfield has won only seven sets this season, but did take both Gonzaga and Fresno State to five sets before losing both matches. Lindy DeGeare leads the team with 226 kills, plus she has accumulated 23 service aces and 142 digs. Haleigh Haratyk has contributed 152 kills, a team-high 24 service aces, and 144 digs. Danielle Gong has dished out 487 assists so far this season. Defensively, Chelcy Motes leads the team at the net with 54 total blocks, while Lindsay Toone paces the team in the back with 180 defensive digs.
HEY, YOU DON'T KNOW ME BUT YOU DON'T LIKE ME: These will be the fifth and sixth meetings all-time between Seattle University and Cal State Bakersfield, with the two teams splitting the previous four meetings. On Oct. 25, 2008, Cal State Bakersfield came to Seattle and defeated Seattle U in four sets at the Connolly Center (25-14, 25-18, 25-27, 25-22). Last season the two teams met on back-to-back days in Bakersfield, similar to this week's schedule. The Roadrunners won the first match on Nov. 1, 2009, 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-13). The Redhawks recovered the next day and pulled out a 3-2 victory on Nov. 2 (26-28, 25-19, 25-19, 20-25, 15-9).
SPENT SOME TIME IN SAN FRANCISCO: The first meeting earlier this season came in San Jose at the San Jose State Tournament, with Seattle U sweeping Cal State Bakersfield, 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-23). Sarah Jaeckel led the Redhawks with 13 kills while Cristin Richards contributed 11 kills and nine digs. Jamie Mellies dished out 35 assists, and Emily Deleissegues led the way in the back with 12 digs. Lindy DeGeare led the way for the Roadrunners with 14 kills, and Lindsay Toone was the team leader in defensive digs with 14.
YES, I'VE WORN BLISTERS ON MY HEELS: Last season Seattle University competed in only four matches that went five sets. This year's team has already more than doubled that total, playing in nine five-set matches so far in 2010. They have already exceeded the total of eight five-set matches from the 2008 season, the first year Seattle U competed at the Division I level. The record for most five-set matches in one season is 11, set in 2002. Seattle U has shown it can compete with the best, taking nationally-ranked Oregon and fellow Pac-10 school Oregon State, as well as Utah State and Wyoming, to five sets.
TRYIN' TO FIND ME SOMETHING BETTER: Junior Cristin Richards became the fifth player in school history to earn at least 1,000 career kills:
1. Sarah Sommerman (2002-05) 1,461
2. Nikole Thompson (2004-07) 1,211
3. Lizzy Safranski (2001-04) 1,133
4. Cristin Richards (2008-present) 1,113
5. Megan Kaysinger (2001-04) 1,102
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. She is now in second place on the all-time digs list, while Jamie Mellies moved into seventh place on Oct. 21 at North Florida:
1. Maggie Safranski (2002-05) 2,008
2. Emily Deleissegues (2007-present) 1,256
3. Lizzy Safranski (2001-04) 1,181
4. Melissa Mulick (2003-06) 1,175
5. Erika Brunson (2001-04) 1,145
6. Lora Burris (2000-03) 918
7. Jamie Mellies (2007-present) 895
8. Cassey Hussey (2000-03) 874
Current Seattle U players Jamie Mellies, Janet Beckerman, Jordan Keller, and Cristin Richards are all in the top ten list for total blocks, with Keller now in third place, Mellies settling in fifth place, Beckerman moving into seventh place, and Richards now in ninth place:
1. Lizzy Safranski (2001-04) 352
2. Janeen Fitzgerald (2002-05) 297
3. Jordan Keller (2008-present) 254
4. Libby Graff (2005-08) 247
5. Jamie Mellies (2007-present) 244
6. Amelie Krahn (2001-04) 232
7. Janet Beckerman (2007-present) 228
8. Sarah Sommerman (2002-05) 177
9. Cristin Richards (2008-present) 176
10. Josie Christiansen (2004-07) 158
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. Jamie Mellies (2007-present) 3,911
2. Erica Brunson (2001-04) 3,904