Richards, who passed the 500-kill mark for the season, led the Redhawks with 19 kills and 18 digs, while Mellies dished out 41 assists and collected 10 defensive digs. Keller finished with seven kills and a team-high nine block assists, and Janet Beckerman (Bellevue, Wash.) contributed nine kills and five block assists. In the back, Emily Deleissegues (Aromas, Calif.) earned 17 digs to become the fourth player in school history to collect at least 400 digs in a single season.
"We took this match very seriously, and everyone put together a team effort tonight," head coach Shannon Ellis said. "Thanks to Jamie distributing the ball well, Cristin and Jordan earned some great kills during the match. I am pleased with our effort, especially on the serve receive. We look forward to playing Long Beach State tomorrow in this great building in front of a loud crowd."
With the match tied at one set each, Seattle U scored five of the first six points of the third set, but a 7-1 run by Akron, punctuated by two service aces from Jackie Goleman, gave the Zips an 11-10 advantage. Seattle U fought back, taking the lead for good on a combined block by Keller, Beckerman, and Julia Bonadio (Seattle, Wash.) and winning the set with a kill by Richards.
The fourth set featured 13 ties and seven lead changes, with neither team earning more than a two-point advantage until the very end of the set. Down 22-20, Ellis called a timeout, and her team responded, forcing the Zips into back-to-back attack errors to tie the set. A kill by Keller gave the Redhawks the lead, and, after another Akron error, Richards finished off the set and the match with her 19th kill of the evening.
In the first set, the two teams exchanged points until Seattle U went on a 5-1 run, thanks in part to three kills by Richards and a service ace from Sarah Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.), to open a 10-6 lead. The Redhawks kept Akron at arm's length and finished off the first set with a kill by Beckerman for the 1-0 match lead.
The second set was a seesaw affair, as Akron took the early lead before back-to-back kills by Richards pulled Seattle U ahead, 6-5. The Zips responded with a kill from Goleman and consecutive blocks by Paiton Twitty and Morgan Kuhn to take an 8-6 lead. A 5-1 run allowed the Redhawks to go back on top, 15-12, but Akron answered with its own 5-1 run to retake the lead at 17-16.
Four unanswered points by the Redhawks allowed Seattle U to regain the lead at 20-17, but the Zips scored three straight points, including a kill and a service ace by Goleman, to pull into a 20-20 tie. A block by Kelly Biette (Brighton, Colo.) and Mellies and a service ace from Bonadio gave the Redhawks a 22-20 advantage, but Akron responded with consecutive kills by Alex Wiederholt. Akron clinched the second set on kills by Alex Cocklin and Goleman to tie the match at one set apiece.
Courtney Jarvis led Akron (15-15) with 11 kills, while Goleman finished with 10 kills and three service aces and Wiederholt also earned 10 kills during the contest. Kuhn dished out 28 assists, and Jill Paluch contributed 18 assists and seven digs. Defensively for the Zips, Twitty led the way at the net with seven total blocks, and Chelsea Harvey paced the team in the back with 27 digs.
Seattle University (18-12) will close out the 2010 season by facing host school Long Beach State Saturday, Nov. 27, beginning at 2 p.m.