The offense of the Seattle University volleyball team showed improvement, but it was not enough as Cal State Northridge earned a 3-0 victory (25-23, 25-18, 25-18) Tuesday night in a non-conference match at the Matadome
In the first set, consecutive kills by Casey Hinger gave Cal State Northridge an early 4-2 lead, but two kills by Allison Farley (Happy Valley, Ore.) keyed a 5-0 run that put the Redhawks on top, 7-4. The Matadors responded with their own 5-0 run to retake the lead, but a kill by Matea Mamic (Split, Croatia) gave Seattle U a 15-14 advantage. Three kills by Mahina Haina allowed the Matadors to go ahead again, 20-18, and CSUN would clinch the opening set on a kill by Cieana Stinson.
Cal State Northridge (8-2) scored three of the first four points of the second set, and then the Matadors went on a 12-2 scoring run, led by Haina with four kills and a block assist, to pull ahead, 16-5. Later in the set, consecutive kills by Alec Goodrie (Springfield, Ore.), as well as one from Mamic, closed the Redhawk deficit to six, but Stinson once again closed out the set with a kill, giving the Matadors a 2-0 match lead.
Seattle U took a 3-1 lead in the third set before the Matadors scored four straight points, including back-to-back kills by Hinger and Sydney Gedryn. After a service ace by Mamic tied the set, CSU Northridge scored seven unanswered points to pull ahead, 12-5. Seattle U pulled to within three thanks to a 6-2 scoring run, but the Matadors finished off the set and the match thanks to three kills by Haina.
“We were able to string some points together tonight, played better offense, and had a better block, but in the end we were too inconsistent,” Seattle U head coach James Finley said. “Alec and Allison played well tonight, but we need more from some of our other players. They need to start keeping the ball alive more often so we can make more plays, which will lead to scoring more consistently.”
Goodrie led the Redhawks with seven kills on 11 attempts for a .636 hitting percentage and three block assists, while Farley also collected seven kills in the match. Setter Kerry Lane (Tucson, Ariz.) earned 24 assists and five kills, and libero Lani Beadle (Seattle, Wash.) led the backline with 11 defensive digs.
Stinson paced the Matador offense with 13 kills, followed by Haina with 12 kills and Hinger with 11 kills and four block assists. Gedryn collected 29 assists and four kills, and Natalie Allen led the squad with nine defensive digs. As a team, Cal State Northridge posted a .370 hitting percentage, while Seattle U notched a .241 hitting percentage.
Seattle University (2-11) heads back to Washington for its final non-conference matches of the season, traveling across the state for the Cougar Invitational in Pullman, Wash., this weekend. The Redhawks will face host Washington State Friday, Sept. 20, at 11 a.m., and Nevada Saturday, Sept. 21, at 10 a.m.