The Seattle University volleyball team rallied from a third-set loss to win the fourth set, pushing its match with Idaho to the deciding fifth set, but the Vandals were able to close out the contest for a 3-2 victory (25-16, 19-25, 25-18, 19-25, 15-13) Friday night in a Western Athletic Conference match at the Connolly Center.
Kaytlyn Dill (Bothell, Wash.) picked up her fifth straight double-double, and seventh on the season, with 22 kills and 17 digs, while freshman Andi Lowrance (Phoenix, Ariz.) collected a season-high 13 kills on a .524 hitting percentage. Jacquie Brice (Fullerton, Calif.) notched her fifth double-double of the season with 55 assists and 14 digs, and Lani Beadle (Seattle, Wash.) earned a career-high 30 defensive digs to lead all players.
Down two sets to one, Seattle U took the lead for good in the fourth set on a kill by Lowrance right before the media timeout, followed by two errors by Idaho. Kills by Sarah Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) and Karina Miastkowska (Northbrook, Ill.) started a 5-0 Redhawk run that extended the lead, and a service error by the Vandals clinched the set for Seattle U, forcing the deciding fifth set.
Idaho (7-10, 5-2 WAC) took an early four-point lead at 7-3 on a block by Alyssa Schultz and Julia Church. After a block by Schultz and Allison Baker put the Vandals ahead, 12-8, Seattle U stormed back, with a kill by Jaeckel, a block from Miastkowska, Lowrance, and Dill, and two kills from Dill pulling the Redhawks into a 13-13 tie. Baker notched a kill to set up match point for Idaho, and an attack error from Seattle U gave the visitors the overall victory.
The Vandals jumped out of the gate in the first set, scoring eight of the first nine points thanks in part to two service aces by Jenna Ellis as well as two kills and a block assist from Schultz. The Redhawks never got closer than five points behind as Idaho hit .480 in the first set, closing it out with kills by Ashley Christman, Katelyn Peterson, and Baker.
Service aces from Ellis and Schultz as well as two kills and a block assist by Baker gave Idaho the early 8-4 lead in the second set, and Peterson helped maintain that advantage at 12-8 with two block assists and a kill. Jaeckel started a 6-0 Seattle U run with a kill and a service ace, followed by a kill from Allison Farley (Happy Valley, Ore.) and consecutive kills by Dill to pull the Redhawks ahead, 14-12. Four more kills by Dill put Seattle U ahead, 23-17, and the Redhawks tied the match at one set apiece with a block from Farley and Karli Pedone (Granite Bay, Calif.) and a kill by Miastkowska.
Two kills apiece from Pedone and Miastkowska keyed a five-point Seattle U run early in the third set for a 10-5 lead, but Peterson and Schultz picked up two kills apiece and Julia Church added a kill as the Vandals went on a 8-2 run to pull ahead, 13-12. A kill by Farley brought the Redhawks to within one at 18-17, but Idaho pulled away with single kills from Peterson and Church, three kills by Schultz, and consecutive kills by Baker to close out the third set.
Miastkowska finished the match with nine kills, Jaeckel collected seven kills and 10 digs, and Farley earned five kills and a team-high five total blocks. McKenzie Daniels (Edmonds, Wash.) also played well in the back with 10 defensive digs as the Redhawks totaled 93 defensive digs in the match, plus Seattle U had a slight advantage in kills over Idaho, 60-58.
Baker, the reigning WAC Player of the Week, led the Vandals with 20 kills, plus she earned 17 digs for a double-double, while Schultz finished with 14 kills and only one attack error for a .448 hitting percentage along with a match-high seven total blocks. Peterson contributed 10 kills, six digs, and three block assists, and Ellis led everyone with six service aces to go along with 10 digs. Jenny Feicht was the Vandal setter throughout the majority of the match, dishing out 44 assists, and libero Janelle Chow led Idaho with 23 digs.
Seattle University (6-11, 1-6 WAC) hits the road next weekend for matches at Louisiana Tech (Oct. 11) and at UT Arlington (Oct. 13). The next home match for the Redhawks is Thursday, Oct. 18, against San Jose State at 7 p.m. at the Connolly Center in the annual Pink Game to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research.