The Seattle University volleyball team ended the 2011 season with a 3-0 loss (25-16, 25-11, 25-20) to Saint Mary's College Saturday afternoon at McKeon Pavilion.
Cristin Richards (Tumwater, Wash.) led the Redhawks with 10 kills, falling three kills short of the school career kills record. Allison Farley (Happy Valley, Ore.) and Julia Bonadio (Phoenix, Ariz.) each earned four kills, and Jordan Keller (Mukilteo, Wash.) collected two service aces and three total blocks.
Saint Mary's (17-12) rattled off four straight points early in the first set on a kill by Rachel Gillcrist and three Redhawk attack errors. Mileva Popovic earned two service aces and Missy White picked up a kill during another Gael 4-0 run, and Saint Mary's would go on to win the first set thanks in part to a .423 hitting percentage.
The Gaels maintained that momentum into the second set, as a block assist and a kill from Gabby Jolly helped Saint Mary's jump out to a 5-2 lead. After a kill by Sarah Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) brought the Redhawks within one at 7-6, the Gaels put together an 11-1 scoring run, helped by Lauren Corp's two kills and two blocks along with Jolly's three block assists. Saint Mary's finished off the second set on a 7-2 scoring run, punctuated by two kills and a service ace from Corp.
Saint Mary's took an 8-2 lead in the third set, capped by consecutive service aces from Sarah Reams, but Richards earned a kill and a block assist as the Redhawks scored three straight points. After a 7-2 scoring run gave the Gaels a 19-11 advantage, Seattle U fought back with an 8-2 run of its own, started by three kills from Bonadio and ended with consecutive kills by Karli Pedone (Granite Bay, Calif.). Saint Mary's ended the set and the match by scoring four of the final five points.
Jordan Shaw led the Gaels with 11 kills and a .588 hitting percentage, while Jolly contributed nine kills, a .467 hitting percentage, and five total blocks. White played a solid all-around match from the setter position, finishing with 32 assists, four kills, three service aces, eight digs, and three block assists. As a team, Saint Mary's hit .408 for the match, plus it collected 10 service aces and 11.5 team blocks.
Seattle University ends the 2011 season with a 5-22 record. Seniors Megan Augustavo (Shoreline, Wash.), Keller, and Richards will be lost to graduation, but the Redhawks expect to return an experienced squad for their first season in the Western Athletic Conference in 2012.