JESUIT SCHOOLS FACE OFF: The Seattle University volleyball team begins the week by welcoming fellow Jesuit school Gonzaga to the Connolly Center. That will be the last regular season home match for the Redhawks until November 4. The team will play 10 regular season matches in a row away from home, beginning with three contests at the UC Davis Aggie Invitational next weekend. Seattle U will face Air Force and Hofstra for the first time ever on the volleyball court, while the Redhawks and Aggies will meet for the first time since both schools played at the NCAA Division II level.
RECENT MATCHES: Seattle University returned home from its week-long road trip and prepared for its match against fifth-ranked Washington last Thursday. After a tough first set, the Redhawks played point-for-point with the Huskies for the majority of sets two and three, but Washington prevailed, 3-0 (25-5, 25-19, 25-15). Kaytlyn Dill led the way for the Redhawks, earning eight kills and a .400 hitting percentage. The Redhawks also received solid production from the middle, as Jordan Keller and Allison Farley each went 4-for-8 in attack attempts without making an error. Allie Hoskins led the team with nine digs, while Jacquie Brice contributed 12 assists and eight digs. Two nights later, the Redhawks hosted Fresno State in their first home match in two weeks. Fresno State pulled out the first set and used that momentum to control the rest of the contest on its way to a 3-0 victory (26-24, 25-19, 25-18). Freshman Alec Goodrie led the Redhawks with eight kills, plus she earned three block assists, while Keller collected four total blocks to go along with two kills and a service ace. Megan Augustavo earned 14 assists and five digs, and Brice contributed 11 assists and five digs.
LIVE EVENTS: Wednesday's match against Gonzaga will be video streamed for free on GoSeattleU.com. Live stats for all three Seattle U matches at the Aggie Invitational will be available, with links from the volleyball schedule page of GoSeattleU.com.
SPEAKING OF THE WAC: Seattle University accepted an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference starting July 1, 2012. The WAC in 2012-13 will consist of 10 members: Denver, Idaho, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Seattle U, Texas-Arlington, Texas-San Antonio, Texas State, and Utah State.
SCOUTING GONZAGA: The Bulldogs come into Wednesday's match with a 6-4 record after winning two of three matches at Indiana's tournament last weekend. Gonzaga has wins over DePaul, Oregon State, and Portland State so far this season. Laura Day leads the team with 113 kills, plus is second on the squad with 106 digs. Terran Poindexter is right behind Day with 103 kills along with a .239 hitting percentage. Denise Van de Mortel has dished out 374 assists so far this season, while Meredith Crenshaw leads the team at the net with 35 total blocks. Libero Kristina Lavrisha leads the squad with 19 service aces and 157 digs.
SEATTLE U VS. GONZAGA: This will be the third meeting between the two Jesuit schools from Washington, with the first two meetings being split. Gonzaga swept Seattle U, 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-22) Oct. 22, 2008, in Spokane. The Bulldogs also hosted the Redhawks during the Zaga Volleyball Classic Sept. 18, 2010, with Seattle U pulling out a 3-2 victory (25-18, 25-12, 12-25, 20-25, 15-7) over the host school. Sarah Jaeckel led Seattle U with 19 kills and a .326 hitting percentage, plsu she collected 13 digs and three total blocks. Cristin Richards also notched a double-double with 17 kills and 18 digs along with four total blocks. Allison Farley contributed nine kills and six total blocks.
SCOUTING AIR FORCE: The Falcons enter the weekend with a 3-7 record. Air Force defeated USC Upstate but lost to Utah Valley and Northern Arizona at its own tournament last weekend. Ayesha Hein leads the team with 111 kills, a .360 hitting percentage, 12 service aces, and 22 total blocks. Cami Richan is close behind her in kills with 106 and is also second in digs with 73. Hillary Keltner leads the squad with 252 assists, and Maiya Perich leads the way with 158 defensive digs. This will be the first meeting all-time between Seattle U and Air Force.
SCOUTING HOFSTRA: The Pride are currently 7-4 heading into Tuesday's match at Seton Hall. Hofstra won its first seven matches before losing all four contests last weekend at Missouri State's tournament. Nikki Kinnier leads the team with 152 kills, with Kelsie Wills contributing 123 kills and 110 digs, second on the team in both categories. Erika Charry leads the Pride with 15 service aces and 51 total blocks. Catalina Charry has been the team's setter this season, dishing out 437 assists, while Kylee Maneja leads the way with 170 defensive digs along with 11 service aces. Seattle U and Hofstra are meeting for the first time ever.
SCOUTING UC DAVIS: The Aggies are 10-1 heading into a Tuesday match at Sacramento State. A loss to North Dakota State is the only blemish so far for UC Davis, and the Aggies have defeated Pac-12 school Colorado, Mountain West member UNLV, and future WAC schools Denver, Texas-Arlington, and Texas-San Antonio. Allison Whitson leads the offense with 143 kills, with Jenny Woolway setting up the offense with 415 assists so far this season. Betsy Sedlak leads the team at the net with 38 total blocks, and Caroline Mercado paces the squad in the back with 158 defensive digs. UC Davis and Seattle U met during both schools' Division II eras, with the Aggies winning a four-set match Sept. 6, 2003, in Seattle.