TOURNEY TIME: After overcoming a rough non-conference season to post its first league winning record since 2006, the Seattle University volleyball team heads to Phoenix, Ariz., for the Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Tournament, hosted by Grand Canyon University at the GCU Arena. Because the Antelopes are not eligible to participate in the tournament, it becomes a neutral-site tourney. Seattle U will need to win three matches in three days in order to take the tournament title and qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
THE 2013 REGULAR SEASON: With a new head coach and half of the roster consisting of new players, the Seattle U volleyball team entered the 2013 with cautious optimism. The team’s confidence received a quick boost with the season-opening victory over Big 12 school Texas Tech, part of a 2-1 opening weekend. However, the combination of inexperience and injuries led to a 11-match losing streak, stopped when a fired-up Redhawk squad swept Nevada on a Saturday morning in Pullman, Wash. After losing in four sets to Bakersfield to open the WAC schedule, the Redhawks pulled out a five-set victory over Utah Valley, starting a stretch in which they won seven of eight matches, including five home matches in a row. At that point in the season, Seattle U was at the top of the WAC standings with a 7-2 league record. The second half of the league season proved to be tougher for Seattle U, as the Redhawks won just two of their final seven contests. However, the team was able to finish with a 9-7 league mark, the first time it finished over .500 in conference play since posting a 9-7 record in the Division II GNAC in 2006. Seattle U more than doubled its WAC win total from last season and qualified for the WAC Tournament for the first time.
POSTSEASON HISTORY: This will be the first postseason tournament for the Seattle University volleyball team as a Division I school, as the Redhawks did not qualify for the WAC Tournament last season during their first year of Division I eligibility. Seattle U Volleyball last appeared in any postseason tournament in 2003, going 9-2 in its last 11 matches to earn a berth in the NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament Pacific Regional in La Jolla, Calif. The Redhawks lost to Cal State San Bernardino in four sets in the first round.