In a Western Athletic Conference volleyball match Saturday night at the Connolly Center, the Texas State Bobcats defeated the Seattle University Redhawks, 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 27-25).
Kaytlyn Dill (Bothell, Wash.) notched her fourth straight double-double and sixth in the last seven matches with 11 kills and 10 digs. With her kill in the second set to tie it at 9-9, she became the sixth player in program history to reach the 1,000-kill plateau. Setter Jacquie Brice (Fullerton, Calif.) collected 32 assists, and Lani Beadle (Seattle, Wash.) and McKenzie Daniels (Edmonds, Wash.) both finished with 11 defensive digs to lead the Redhawks.
The first set went back-and-forth until Texas State put together eight unanswered points to pull ahead, 19-12, led by two kills by Amari Deardorff and consecutive service aces from Sierra Smith. The Bobcats would score five of the final seven points of the first set, led by three kills from Ashlee Hilbun, to take the 1-0 match lead.
Back-to-back Texas State blocks, both involving Hilbun, put the visitors ahead early in the second set, 7-4, before Seattle U answered back with an 8-4 scoring run, completed thanks to a block assist and two kills by Karina Miastkowska (Northbrook, Ill.). After Texas State retook the lead, Allison Farley (Happy Valley, Ore.) notched a kill and a block assist to pull the Redhawks into an 18-18 tie, but a kill and a service ace from Hilbun gave the Bobcats the lead for good in the set, as Alexandra Simms would help close it out with two kills and a block assist.
Texas State (7-9, 2-3 WAC) made four straight errors to open the third set, and then three straight attack errors from the Bobcats as well as a service ace by Brice allowed the Redhawks to open a six-point advantage. Texas State roared back, scoring five straight points to pull to within one point at 16-15. Back-to-back kills from Dill and Sarah Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) extended Seattle U's lead to 21-17, but a kill and two block assists from Hilbun closed the Bobcat deficit to one at 21-20.
Simms earned consecutive kills to pull Texas State into a 22-22 tie, and then a block by Deardorff and Molly Ahrens set up the Bobcats' first match point opportunity. A kill from Dill would extend the match, but a kill by Morgan McDaniel followed by a Redhawk attack error ended the contest.
Jaeckel, Miastkowska, and Andi Lowrance (Phoenix, Ariz.) each finished with six kills, with Jaeckel also earning 10 digs, while Miastkowska and Lowrance collected three block assists apiece. Farley finished with five kills on her 21st birthday, but Seattle U posted its worst hitting percentage of WAC play (.080).
Simms led the Bobcats with 11 kills, Deardorff earned nine kills and three block assists, and Hilbun collected eight kills, eight digs, and six total blocks. The setting duties were split between Caleigh McCorquodale (17 assists) and Ali Gonzales (16 assists), and Bobcat libero Laure Whalen led all players with 13 defensive digs.
Seattle University (6-10, 1-5 WAC) will host Idaho next Friday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Connolly Center.