The Seattle University volleyball team had its chances in both the first and third sets, but Nevada won the crucial points to earn a 3-0 victory (29-27, 25-20, 26-24) Thursday night at the Virginia Street Gym.
Kaytlyn Dill (Bothell, Wash.) led the Redhawk offense with 12 kills, plus she earned five digs, while Jordan Keller (Mukilteo, Wash.) finished with six kills, two service aces, and three total blocks. Megan Augustavo (Shoreline, Wash.) notched a double-double with 30 assists and 10 digs, Alec Goodrie (Springfield, Ore.) led the team at the net with four total blocks, and Allie Hoskins (Colorado Springs, Colo.) also finished with 10 defensive digs.
The first set was even throughout, as the teams traded mini-runs midway through the set. A kill by Allison Farley (Happy Valley, Ore.), a service ace from Goodrie, and a block by Farley and Dill gave the Redhawks a 15-13 advantage. A kill by Dill set up set point for Seattle U at 24-21, but Nevada scored four unanswered points, the last three on kills by Janelle Batista, to pull ahead, 25-24. Seattle U would regain the advantage at 27-26, but the Wolf Pack scored the final three points to take the opening set.
Two kills by Goodrie and a service ace from Keller gave Seattle U an early 5-2 lead in the second set, but after kills from Dill and Cristin Richards (Tumwater, Wash.), Nevada responded with a block and a Batista service ace to cut its deficit to one at 8-7. The Wolf Pack went on a 5-1 scoring run to open a 15-11 advantage, but three attack errors by the home team allowed the Redhawks to pull into a 16-16 tie. Nevada closed out the second set with a 6-1 scoring run, keyed by two kills and a solo block by Tessa Lea'ea, to take a 2-0 match lead into the intermission.
Nevada (4-15) scored seven unanswered points, led by Erin Garvey with three total blocks and a kill, to take an 8-2 lead in the third set. Seattle U stopped the run with a kill by Julia Bonadio (Phoenix, Ariz.) and a service ace by Kelly Biette (Brighton, Colo.), but another kill by Garvey later in the set gave the Wolf Pack an 18-12 advantage. The Redhawks put on a furious comeback, winning the next five points on four Nevada errors and a kill by Keller.
Down 22-18, Seattle U did not give up, as Keller earned a kill, Goodrie and Biette combined for back-to-back blocks, and Keller picked up a service ace to tie the third set at 22-22. Dill answered Nevada kills with her own consecutive kills, but a kill by Lea'ea and a service ace from Kelly Chang closed out the set and the match in the Wolf Pack's favor.
"It was a fun, competitive night. We had huge contributions off the bench from Kelly and Julia. We just came up a little short," head coach Shannon Ellis said.
Lea'ea led the Wolf Pack with 12 kills and a .450 hitting percentage, while Batista contributed eight kills, three service aces, and five total blocks. Setter Tatiana Santiago dished out 38 assists to go along with three kills and six digs, Elissa Ji added 12 digs and seven kills, and Chang also has 12 defensive digs to go along with her match-clinching service ace.
Seattle University (4-15) heads across state lines from Nevada to California to face Sacramento State tomorrow night, Oct. 21, beginning at 7 p.m.