DOWN THE STRETCH: After almost three full weeks without a home match, the Seattle University volleyball team is back at the Connolly Center for its final two home contests of the 2012 season. Victories in both matches are crucial for the Redhawks, who are contending with UT Arlington for the final spot in the WAC Tournament. Seattle U will be able to greatly help its cause when it faces UT Arlington Thursday, Nov. 8. The Redhawks will then welcome Louisiana Tech, already eliminated from qualifying for the WAC Tournament, Saturday, Nov. 10. That will be the final home match in the collegiate careers of seniors Kelly Biette, Kaytlyn Dill, and Karina Miastkowska.
LIVE STATS/VIDEO: Live stats and live video will be available for both matches this weekend. Links to all online offerings are available from the volleyball schedule page on GoSeattleU.com.
LAST WEEKEND: Seattle University lost to the University of Idaho, 3-1 (25-16, 25-17, 12-25, 25-19), last Saturday night in a Western Athletic Conference match at Memorial Gym in Moscow, Idaho. Sarah Jaeckel and Kaytlyn Dill finished with 15 kills apiece, with Allison Farley contributing nine kills and a .533 hitting percentage and Karina Miastkowska earning seven kills. Jacquie Brice notched her sixth double-double of the season, including her second against Idaho, with 35 assists and 17 digs, and Lani Beadle finished with 21 digs and eight assists. After losing the first two sets, Seattle U hit .500 in the third set, making only one attack error in extending the match. However, Idaho rebounded to win the fourth set and close out the match.
SCOUTING UT ARLINGTON: The Mavericks come into Thursday's match with an 8-19 overall record. UTA is currently in eighth place in the WAC standings with a 4-11 conference mark, with a combination of two Maverick victories or Redhawk losses clinching a spot in the WAC Tournament for UTA. As a team, the Mavericks are hitting .154 and averaging 11.82 kills, 0.97 service aces, 15.70 digs, and 2.09 blocks per set. Shelby Dickson leads the team with 256 kills and 363 digs, with Taylor Gross right behind her in kills with 219. Setter Amanda Welsh leads the team with 876 assists and 28 service aces. At the net, Ashley Bennett leads the team with 95 total blocks, followed by Charmaine Whitmore with 86 blocks, including 12 solo blocks.
SCOUTING LOUISIANA TECH: The Lady Techsters enter the weekend with a 3-24 overall record, losing 18 straight matches entering Thursday night's contest at Idaho. Louisiana Tech is 0-15 in the conference and has already been eliminated from contention for a spot in the WAC Tournament. As a team, Louisiana Tech is hitting .132 and averaging 10.54 kills, 0.94 service aces, 13.95 digs, and 1.73 blocks per set. Clara Vido leads the team with 211 kills, is second on the squad with 15 service aces, and is third on the team with 178 digs. Maria Coelho has been the team's setter throughout the season, collecting 782 assists to go along with 13 service aces, 156 digs, and 56 total blocks. Stephany Salas leads the Lady Techsters with 18 service aces and 318 digs, and Caitlin Germany paces the team at the net with 57 total blocks.
FIRST MEETING: Seattle U made the trip south to face Louisiana Tech and UT Arlington Oct 11 and 13. In Ruston, La., Seattle U rallied from a 2-1 deficit for the fourth time this season to defeat the Lady Techsters, 3-2 (25-18, 19-25, 17-25, 25-21, 15-10). Kaytlyn Dill notched a double-double with 24 kills and 15 digs, while Karli Pedone contributed 11 kills in the victory. Jacquie Brice finished with 45 assists and nine digs, and Lani Beadle earned 26 digs, four assists, and two service aces. Maria Coelho notched a double-double for Louisiana Tech with 46 assists and 14 digs to go along with five kills and three blocks, while Regan Himmelberg led the team offensively with 12 kills, Gabryel Ording finished with eight kills and seven total blocks, and Stephany Salas collected 27 digs and three service aces. Less than 48 hours later, the Redhawks struggled to get going, and UT Arlington took advantage of the slow start in a 3-0 victory (25-11, 25-20, 25-19). Sarah Jaeckel earned 13 kills and nine digs, and Beadle collected 16 defensive digs. Taylor Gross led the Mavericks with 13 kills, and Ashley Bennett earned seven kills in 10 attack attempts to go along with six total blocks.
THE SENIORS: Saturday will mark the final home match in the collegiate careers of three seniors who made a significant impact in the Redhawk volleyball program. Kelly Biette has proven to be a leader both on and off the court, serving as one of the team captains for the volleyball squad as well as the president of the Seattle U Student-Athlete Advisory Council and a member of the Western Athletic Conference SAAC. She comes into Thursday's match with 129 kills and 144 total blocks in 204 sets played. Kaytlyn Dill will probably be considered one of the best offensive players in program history. She became the sixth member of the 1,000-kill club earlier this season and enters the weekend fourth in Seattle U history in both kills (1,152) and service aces (111). After transferring from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Karina Miastkowska slowly made her way into the Seattle U starting lineup. Her 2010 season got off to a great start with 10 kills, four service aces, and three total blocks in the first three sets against Portland State, but she suffered a season-ending knee injury in that match. After recovering, she has contributed to the Redhawk offense over the past two years.