IF IT'S THURSDAY, IT MUST BE ...: RENO! Once again, the Seattle University volleyball team is on the road, with matches on back-to-back nights at Nevada (Thursday, Oct. 20) and at Sacramento State (Friday, Oct. 21) starting at 7 p.m. both nights. Live stats and live video will be available for both matches, although there will be a charge to access the live video for the Nevada contest. This is the continuation of the seven-match road swing for the Redhawks, one that will keep Seattle U from hosting a match until November.
THE MONTANA STATE MATCH: Seattle University could not maintain a consistent offense, as the Montana State Bobcats earned a 3-0 victory (25-23, 25-22, 25-17) last Sunday afternoon at Shroyer Gym. Cristin Richards led the Redhawks with 15 kills, a .355 hitting percentage, and three total blocks, while Allison Farley contributed six kills and three block assists. Megan Augustavo dished out 29 assists, and Allie Hoskins led the backline with 12 defensive digs. Montana State scored the first four points of the match thanks in part to two service aces by Nicole Baker. Down 10-5, Seattle U scored five unanswered points, helped by three attack errors by the Bobcats, before Montana State retook the lead at 15-11 with four straight points. Later in the set, the Redhawks scored six unanswered points, with Richards collecting three kills and a block assist, to go ahead, 23-22, but Montana State closed out the set with three straight points, the last two on consecutive kills by Alex Penewell. The second set started the same way, with Montana State opening a 4-0 lead. Down 16-10, the Redhawks pulled to within one at 19-18, starting with a block and three kills from Farley. After a kill by Sarah Jaeckel cut the Bobcat lead to one at 23-22, the home team won the final two points of the set with a kill by Jennifer Lundquist and a service ace from Chelsea Oemcke. After Seattle U won the first point of the third set, the Bobcats earned the next five, and another 4-0 run allowed Montana State to extend its lead to 12-4. With the Redhawks down 17-7, Richards earned six straight Seattle U points on kills as part of a 7-2 scoring run that pulled the visitors to within five at 19-14. The Bobcats stopped the run on back-to-back blocks and eventually completed the sweep.
SCOUTING NEVADA: The Wolf Pack comes into Thursday's match with a 3-15 overall record, including a 1-6 record in the Western Athletic Conference. This is Nevada's final year in the WAC before moving on to the Mountain West Conference. Last weekend Nevada lost at Idaho and at Utah State. Five players have earned over 100 kills, led by Janelle Batista with 164 kills and a .316 hitting percentage, followed closely by Tessa Lea'ea with 154 kills and a .318 hitting percentage. Lea'ea also leads the team with 55 total blocks. Tatiana Santiago has been the team's setter throughout the year, earning 615 assists for the Wolf Pack. Grace Anxo leads the team with 22 service aces and is second on the squad with 145 digs, behind Kelly Chang's 218 digs.
SEATTLE U VS. NEVADA: Nevada won the only previous meeting between the two schools, held during its tournament Sept. 7, 2008. The Redhawks played a tight match with the Wolf Pack, but the home team was able to pull out a 3-1 victory (25-19, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21) over Seattle U. Cristin Richards and Kaytlyn Dill each finished with 10 kills, while Emily Powell contributed nine kills and five total blocks. Jamie Mellies played a solid all-around match, earning 31 assists, 16 digs, and three service aces. Lindsay Baldwin led Nevada with 15 kills, three service aces, and five total blocks.
SCOUTING SACRAMENTO STATE: The Hornets enter Friday's match with a 12-10 overall record, including a 6-2 record in Big Sky play, tied with Northern Colorado for first place in the league standings. Sacramento State has won seven of its last eight matches after going through a six-match losing streak. Eryn Kirby leads the team with 246 kills. Janelle Currey is second on the squad in kills (196), service aces (26), and digs (282). For the most part, setting duties have been split between Anna Schoener (341 assists) and Hannah Hettinga (335 assists). Kelsey Elston leads the team with 85 total blocks, while Breanne Menees paces the squad with 27 service aces and 432 digs.