IS THIS THE END?: A historic season comes to a close for Seattle University this weekend, as the team heads to Long Beach State for the Mizuno Thanksgiving Tournament, with matches against Akron Friday and the host 49ers Saturday. The team has already secured its first winning season as a Division I program and looks to at least match the win total of 18 from the 2006 season, the last time Seattle U posted a winning record.
INDEPENDENT CHAMPIONS!: With North Carolina Central withdrawing from the Independent Tournament, it was left to Cal State Bakersfield and Seattle University to decide the Division I independent championship in back-to-back matches at the Connolly Center. Friday night, Seattle U jumped on top with a 25-12 first-set victory, but the Roadrunners won the next two sets (27-25 and 25-22) and threatened to earn their first victory of the season. However, the Redhawks battled back, winning the fourth set, 25-20, and then earning a 15-9 victory in the fifth set to clinch the match. Jordan Keller set a school record for most blocks in a match with 15 total blocks, while Janet Beckerman contributed 10 kills and 10 block assists. Those block totals contributed to the team setting a new single-match record with 19 team blocks. Cristin Richards led the Redhawks with 17 kills, plus she earned 11 digs, while Sarah Jackel also notched a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs. Jamie Mellies also posted a double-double with 45 assists and 12 digs, and Emily Deleissegues led the team from the back with 19 digs. Saturday night, everything was clicking for Seattle University, as it cruised to a three-set victory over Cal State Bakersfield (25-17, 25-12, 25-16), earning the independent championship and defeating the Roadrunners for the fifth time this season. Beckerman led the way with 10 kills in 11 attempts for a .909 hitting percentage. Mellies finished with 30 assists, seven digs, and three blocks, and Keller added to her school single-season blocks record with five block assists. As a team, Seattle U posted a .390 hitting percentage, the third-highest single-match hitting percentage in program history.
SMASHING SUCCESS: Numerous records have been set by the 2010 Seattle University volleyball team. Single-match records have been set by Janet Beckerman, who earned a .909 hitting percentage against Cal State Bakersfield on Nov. 20, and Jordan Keller, who collected 15 total blocks in the Nov. 19 contest against the Roadrunners. Keller has also obliterated the school single-season record for block assists (155) and total blocks (159). Meanwhile, Cristin Richards has set the Seattle U record for most kills in one season with 490, and she is now just 10 kills away from becoming the first player in school history to collect 500 kills in a season. Senior Jamie Mellies now holds the school records for most assists in a single season (1,191) and most assists in a career (4,066), becoming the first Seattle U player to ever reach the 4,000-assist mark in a career. Finally, if they play every set this weekend, even if both matches go the minimum three sets, Mellies and Emily Deleissegues will set the school record for most sets played in a single season.
WELCOME ADDITION: Seattle University head coach Shannon Ellis announced that Alec Goodrie of Eugene, Ore., signed a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period. Goodrie is a 6'0" outside hitter who has led Thurston High School in kills in each of the last two seasons. She earned All-State recognition last year.
SCOUTING AKRON: The Zips come into the weekend with a 15-14 overall record. Akron posted a 7-9 record in the Mid-American Conference, finishing seventh in the regular season standings, and lost to Buffalo in the first round of the conference tournament. Courtney Jarvis leads the team in kills with 310, plus she has earned 31 service aces and 308 digs. Morgan Kuhn leads the team with 980 assists and 35 service aces, plus she has collected 271 defensive digs. Tina Dimitrijevs leads the team with 78 total blocks, followed closely by Alex Wiederholt with 77 total blocks. Chelsea Harvey paces the squad in the back with 472 defensive digs.
SCOUTING LONG BEACH STATE: The 49ers come into the tournament with a 22-7 overall record. Long Beach State finished the Big West regular season with a 12-4 mark, good enough for a tie for second place in the conference standings. Caitlin Ledoux leads the team with 417 kills and 21 service aces, plus she has collected 277 digs and 60 total blocks. Janisa Johnson is second on the team in both kills (328) and digs (366). Ashley Lee has been the team's setter for the majority of the season, earning 882 assists. At the net, Haleigh Hampton is third in the country in blocks per set with 1.58, leading the team with 168 total blocks. However, she missed the last match due to injury and it is unknown if she will be ready for this weekend's contests. Lauren Minkel leads the team in defensive digs with 435.
SERIES HISTORIES: Seattle University will be facing both Akron and Long Beach State for the first time ever.
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES: This weekend will mark the final collegiate matches for seniors Janet Beckerman, Emily Deleissegues, and Jamie Mellies. Beckerman is having her best season ever, coming into the weekend with 253 kills, a .248 hitting percentage, and 91 total blocks. She will finish her time at Seattle U in the top five for career blocks. Deleissegues will finish her time at Seattle U in second place on the all-time digs list, bringing 1,307 career digs to Long Beach. With 11 digs this weekend, she will become the fourth player in program history to earn at least 400 digs in a single season. Mellies has been extraordinary both on the volleyball court and in the classroom, earning numerous accolades athletically and academically. She will leave Seattle U as the volleyball program's assist leader both in a season and in a career.
CAREER RANKINGS: 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. Cristin Richards (2008-present) 1,176
4. Lizzy Safranski (2001-04) 1,133
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 has now moved into sixth place on the list:
1. Maggie Safranski (2002-05) 2,008
2. Emily Deleissegues (2007-present) 1,307
3. Lizzy Safranski (2001-04) 1,181
4. Melissa Mulick (2003-06) 1,175
5. Erika Brunson (2001-04) 1,145
6. Jamie Mellies (2007-present) 931
7. Lora Burris (2000-03) 918
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 moving into fourth place, Beckerman advancing into fifth place, and Richards now in eighth place:
1. Lizzy Safranski (2001-04) 352
2. Janeen Fitzgerald (2002-05) 297
3. Jordan Keller (2008-present) 292
4. Jamie Mellies (2007-present) 260
5. Janet Beckerman (2007-present) 249
6. Libby Graff (2005-08) 247
7. Amelie Krahn (2001-04) 232
8. Cristin Richards (2008-present) 186
9. Sarah Sommerman (2002-05) 177
10. Josie Christiansen (2004-07) 158
Jamie Mellies became Seattle U's all-time assist leader in the fourth set of the Oct. 23 match at Stetson. She then became the first player in school history to reach 4,000 career assists during the Nov. 19 contest against Cal State Bakersfield.
1. Jamie Mellies (2007-present) 4,066
2. Erica Brunson (2001-04) 3,904