In a team effort which saw several players notch season and career highs in many categories, the Seattle University volleyball team was able to pull out an exciting Western Athletic Conference match over Utah Valley, 3-2 (25-22, 14-25, 27-25, 23-25, 15-13), Saturday night at the Connolly Center.
Utah Valley (7-9, 1-1 WAC) scored the first three points of the fifth set, two of them on service aces by McKenna Tait, and pulled out to a 6-2 lead, helped by two kills from Kalani Norris. A 7-3 scoring run by the Redhawks brought about a 9-9 tie, and the two teams would trade points until consecutive tips by setter Kerry Lane (Tucson, Ariz.) put the Redhawks on top, 13-12. After a kill by Macky Treanor tied the set at 13-13, Iris Ivanis (Pozega, Croatia) notched a kill, and Lane and Stephanie Stoll (Bellevue, Wash.) combined on a block to clinch the set and the match.
With the match tied at one set apiece, Utah Valley came out of the intermission and took an 8-5 lead on a kill by Cassie Wahlin. Three straight kills by Allison Farley (Happy Valley, Ore.) tied the set at 8-8, but the Wolverines would eventually reestablish a three-point lead at 18-15 on a kill by Treanor. The Redhawks went on a 7-2 run, capped by a service ace by Lane, but Utah Valley responded with four unanswered points, with Treanor earning two kills and a block assist. A kill by Stoll tied the set at 25-25, and two errors by the Wolverines gave the Redhawks the third set and the 2-1 match lead.
Wahlin earned a block assist and a kill, and Tait picked up another service ace to give Utah Valley the early 5-2 lead in the fourth set. Down 11-7, the Redhawks scored four unanswered points, including a service ace by Matea Mamic (Split, Croatia) and a kill by Ivanis, and the two squads would once again exchange several points. A kill by Ivanis put Seattle U ahead, 22-20, but Utah Valley closed out the set by scoring five of the final six points, with consecutive aces by Tait and a kill from Lauren Stringham forcing the deciding fifth set.
Seattle U took the advantage in the first set, with consecutive kills by Ivanis helping the Redhawks open a 13-9 advantage. Stringham notched a kill and a block assist, and Nakisha Willden earned a service ace to pull the Wolverines within one, but the Redhawks ended the threat with kills by Lane and Alec Goodrie (Springfield, Ore.). Stringham picked up two block assists to help Utah Valley tie the set at 20-20, but Seattle U took the lead for good on a kill by Farley, and Ivanis closed out the set with a kill of her own.
With the second set tied at 6-6, Utah Valley started to show its strong defense, going on an 11-2 scoring run that featured four blocks, all of them involving Katie Fritzler and three of them also featuring Wahlin. Stringham picked up three block assists of her own as the Wolverines finished the set with nine team blocks, holding Seattle U to a negative hitting percentage, and clinching the second set on a kill by Treanor.
“This was an amazing win for our program. Utah Valley is a very good team, especially in their offense and their blocking abilities. For us, tonight was about finding a way mentally to push through adversity, and we had the courage to push forward at the end,” Seattle U head coach James Finley said. “Outstanding performances tonight by Allison and Iris, and it was fun to see our freshman setter make some great decisions at crunch time, which gave us key points when we needed them.”
Ivanis led the Redhawks with a season-high 19 kills, plus she contributed eight digs, while Farley tied her career high with 16 kills and Goodrie also established a personal best with 11 kills. Lane dished out a season-high 54 assists to go along with four kills, four digs, and three block assists, McKenzie Daniels (Edmonds, Wash.) led all players with a career-high 19 digs, and Lani Beadle (Seattle, Wash.) also helped the Redhawk defense with 16 digs of her own.
Treanor came off the bench and led the Wolverines with 19 kills, plus she picked up eight digs and three block assists, while Norris finished with 17 kills, eight digs, and three block assists. Stringham notched a double-double with 12 kills and 12 total blocks, as did setter Brookelyn Hall with 52 assists and 14 digs, plus she collected six block assists. Tait led the Wolverines with 16 digs and five service aces.
As a team, Utah Valley earned 21 team blocks in the match and posted a .279 hitting percentage, but 13 service errors, five reception errors, and five block errors hurt the Wolverines. The Redhawks posted a .203 hitting percentage and six team blocks during the night.
Seattle University (4-13, 1-1 WAC) makes the three-match conference road trip next week, starting with a match at Grand Canyon Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. That will be followed by matches at UT Pan American Friday, Oct. 4, and at New Mexico State Sunday, Oct. 6. The Redhawks will then come home for a four-match homestand at the Connolly Center, beginning Friday, Oct. 11, against Idaho starting at 7 p.m.