The Seattle University volleyball team held the statistical advantage over Utah Valley throughout the night, but the Redhawks needed a strong comeback effort to defeat the Wolverines, 3-2 (25-21, 22-25, 23-25, 25-16, 15-13), in the first round of the WAC Volleyball Tournament Monday evening at the GCU Arena.
With Seattle U down two sets to one, the Wolverines scored three of the first points of the fourth set thanks in part to two kills by Kalani Norris, but Seattle U put together a 7-2 scoring run on two service aces by Martina Samadan (Split, Croatia) as well as a kill and a block assist from Matea Mamic (Split, Croatia) to go ahead, 8-5. Utah Valley responded with a 5-0 scoring run, led by Lauren Stringham with two blocks and a kill, to retake the lead at 10-8. The Redhawks answered back with their own 8-1 scoring run, punctuated by two kills apiece from Samadan and Iris Ivanis (Pozega, Croatia), to retake the lead at 16-11.
Seattle U continued to put the pressure on Utah Valley, maintaining its lead thanks to two kills by Ivanis. After the Wolverines cut their deficit to five, Samadan picked up a kill and a service ace, and Mamic collected a block assist and a kill to set up set point for the Redhawks. Seattle U would take advantage of a Wolverine attack error to win the fourth set and bring about a deciding fifth set.
In the fifth set, Seattle U scored the first four points on two blocks by Alec Goodrie (Springfield, Ore.) and Samadan along with a kill by each player. Utah Valley used back-to-back blocks, both involving Katie Fritzler, to pull to within two at 7-5, but a block by Samadan and Kerry Lane (Tucson, Ariz.) stopped the Wolverine rally. Seattle U extended the lead to 14-10 thanks in part to three kills by Mamic, but Utah Valley held off three Redhawk match points. Finally, Seattle U pulled out the fifth set and the match on an attack error by the Wolverines.
“It was a great team effort tonight, as the players showed that they could play together and find a way to overcome some adversity,” Seattle U head coach James Finley said. “As a young team, we needed to go through something like that to fuel our passion. We expect a tougher match tomorrow because more is at stake, but we will be ready.”
Seattle U took an early 6-2 lead in the first set thanks to a 5-0 scoring run, led by two block assists from Samadan, but Utah Valley used a 6-2 run of its own to pull into a 9-9 tie. After the two teams exchanged points, the Redhawks used two blocks by Allison Farley (Happy Valley, Ore.) and Stephanie Stoll (Bellevue, Wash.) to pull ahead, 19-17. Seattle U won the first set by taking advantage of Wolverine mistakes, as Utah Valley collected more attack errors (13) than kills (7) in the opening set.
Utah Valley (18-15) took an early 6-3 lead in the second set, punctuated by a service ace from WAC ace leader McKenna Tait, but several kills by Samadan allowed the Redhawks to close to within one. The Wolverines would extend their advantage thanks to a 5-1 scoring run, but Seattle U fought back to a 20-20 tie, starting with a block by Samadan and Ivanis and continuing with two kills from Lane as well as one by Ivanis. The Wolverines retook the lead with three unanswered points, and eventually won the set on a kill by Nakisha Willden, tying the match at one set apiece.
The Redhawks pulled ahead early in the third set thanks to kills by Samadan and Lane, and then they would extend the lead to 14-11 as Samadan collected a solo block along with another kill. Down 20-16 after a block by Samadan and Ivanis, Utah Valley scored the next four points, starting with consecutive kills by Wahlin, to tie the set at 20-20. Back-to-back kills by Lauren Stringham brought about set point for the Wolverines, and Willden closed out the set with a kill to put Utah Valley ahead in the match.
Ivanis notched a double-double, finishing with a match-high 18 kills and 11 digs, while Samadan collected 14 kills, three service aces, seven digs, and 10 total blocks. Mamic contributed 14 kills of her own as all three players received solid sets from Lane, who ended up with 51 assists, seven kills, seven digs, and five block assists. Defensively, Stoll earned seven blocks, and Lani Beadle (Seattle, Wash.) led the backline with 22 defensive digs.
Wahlin and Stringham led Utah Valley with 11 kills apiece, with Wahlin also picking up 10 digs for a double-double and Willden contributing 10 kills and eight digs. Wolverine setter Brookelyn Hall accumulated 41 assists, six kills, and nine digs, and Tait led all players with 27 defensive digs to go along with two service aces.
Seattle University (13-19) advances to the semifinals of the WAC Tournament, where it will face second seed Bakersfield Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 5 p.m. local time (4 p.m. Pacific time). Live stats and live video for the match will be available on WACSports.com.