In another hard-fought Western Athletic Conference volleyball match, Seattle University rebounded from losing the first set to take the next two sets, and then rallied late in the fourth set to defeat Chicago State, 3-1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-13, 26-24), Thursday night at the Connolly Center.
The beginning of the second set went back-and-forth until Seattle U put together a 6-1 scoring run, led by two kills from Iris Ivanis (Pozega, Croatia) and a service ace by Kerry Lane (Tucson, Ariz.), to go ahead 15-10. The Cougars scored five of the next six points to pull to within one, but the Redhawks closed out the set on a 9-3 scoring run, with Sarah Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) finishing the set with a kill.
Seattle U scored five straight points early in the third set to pull ahead, 7-2, and then went on an 8-1 scoring run, including two kills and a block assist from Ivanis, to extend the lead into double digits at 16-6. Chicago State hurt its own cause late in the third set, committing a service error and an attack error to give the Redhawks the set and the 2-1 match lead.
The Redhawks scored four unanswered points early in the first set to take a 9-5 lead, but Chicago State would rally back with a 7-2 scoring run to go on top, 13-12, Paula Sioto would earn two kills and a block assist as the Cougars scored five straight points to pull ahead, 18-13, and Chicago State would reach set point on a kill by Madeleine Radtke. The Redhawks extended the set on kills by Martina Samadan (Split, Croatia) and Jaeckel, followed by a kill by Lane to set up match point, and a kill by Ivanis to close out the set and the match.
Chicago State (2-19, 0-7 WAC) took an early 6-3 lead in the first set thanks in part to a kill and a service ace by Sioto, but a kill from Ivanis and consecutive kills by Samadan pulled the Redhawks into a 6-6 tie. After Seattle U took an 18-15 lead on a block by Jaeckel and Allison Farley (Happy Valley, Ore.), the Cougars went on a 10-3 run to close out the set, with Chinwendu Ngwadom earning three total blocks in that stretch and Sioto finishing off the set with two kills.
“I am disappointed in how our team showed up to play tonight, as it took us a long time to get on track. Sarah once again came through for us, and it was important to have a senior step up like that during crunch time,” Seattle U head coach James Finley said. “It was good to get another home win, but we have to come out ready to play Saturday in order to generate a better result.”
Samadan led the Redhawk offense with 16 kills and a .600 hitting percentage along with four service aces, while Jaeckel and Ivanis finished with 12 kills apiece. Lane dished out 50 assists, and Lani Beadle (Seattle, Wash.) once again led the Seattle U defense, this time with 17 defensive digs.
Sioto finished with 17 kills, two service aces, and three block assists, while Valeria Desiderio contributed 12 kills and five digs. Setter Mackenzie Lotter collected 40 assists and two service aces, and libero Julia Menhart led the Cougars with 15 digs. Despite a consistent offensive performance in which the visitors posted a hitting percentage above .200 in each set, the Cougars hurt their own cause with 17 service errors.
Seattle University (9-14, 6-2 WAC), now just a half-game behind New Mexico State at the top of the conference standings, will complete the homestand Saturday, Oct. 20, with a match against Kansas City (10-9, 4-3 WAC) starting at 7 p.m. at the Connolly Center. Fans attending the contest are encouraged to wear pink to help the team raise awareness about breast cancer research, as Saturday has been designated as the annual Dig Pink match.