Seattle University took the early lead in the WAC semifinal match Tuesday evening, but Bakersfield’s defense seemingly kept the ball off the floor throughout the night, and the offense kicked into gear, giving the Roadrunners a 3-1 victory (26-28, 25-15, 25-15, 25-19) over the Redhawks at the GCU Arena.
In the opening set, kills by Stephanie Stoll (Bellevue, Wash.) and Iris Ivanis (Pozega, Croatia) helped Seattle U pull out to a 9-5 lead, but Bakersfield would score the next three points to pull to within one. After a kill by Allison Farley (Happy Valley, Ore.) gave Seattle U a 12-9 advantage, two kills by Debora Araujo helped the Roadrunners pull the set into a 12-12 tie. Two kills by Martina Samadan (Split, Croatia) as well as a kill and a block by Stoll allowed the Redhawks to go back on top, 18-15.
Bakersfield (21-11) scored three straight points to tie the set at 18-18, but a kill by Sarah Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) and a Roadrunner error reestablished the lead for Seattle U at 20-18. Down 22-19, Bakersfield scored four of the next five points to pull the set into another tie at 23-23, but a block by Samadan and Kerry Lane (Tucson, Ariz.) set up set point for Seattle U. The Roadrunners won the next two points to create their own chance at winning the set, but Matea Mamic (Split, Croatia) picked up a kill to extend the set. With the score tied at 26-26, Stoll and Farley combined on a block, and Stoll took advantage of an overpass with the set-clinching kill.
The Roadrunners showed their versatility early in the second set, as four kills from three different players as well as five straight Redhawk attack errors allowed Bakersfield to pull ahead, 12-3. Two kills by Samadan helped close the gap a bit, but Bakersfield responded with three unanswered points, including kills by Araujo and Star Tucker-Campbell as well as a service ace from Kelsee Sawyer.
Down 17-8, the Redhawks scored four straight points, including kills by Samadan and Stoll as well as a service ace by Kirstin Schauble (Meadow Vista, Calif.), to pull to within five at 17-12. However, the Roadrunners were able to keep Seattle U at a distance the rest of the way, finishing off the set on a kill by Sawyer and a service ace from Fernanda Goncalves.
The third set started out as a series of runs, as Seattle scored three of the first four points thanks in part to a block assist and a kill by Alec Goodrie (Springfield, Ore.), followed by a 4-0 run by Bakersfield led by a block and a kill by Shayna Guitare. The Redhawks responded with a 6-1 run led by a kill and two blocks by Mamic, but the Roadrunners rallied back with a 15-2 run, led by Araujo with four kills and Sawyer with three kills. Bakersfield closed out the set on a block by Guitare, Araujo, and Molly O’Hagan to take a 2-1 match lead.
Bakersfield scored the first five points of the fourth set, but Seattle U rallied back with a 7-1 scoring run of its own, including two kills and a service ace by Ivanis as well as two kills from Samadan. The Roadrunners responded with their own 6-1 scoring run, featuring a block, a kill, and an assist from Goncalves.
A solo block by Ivanis closed the Redhawk deficit to two at 15-13, but Bakersfield put together another quick 4-1 scoring run, with O’Hagan picking up a block assist and a kill. The Roadrunners won four of the final five points of the set, with Tucker-Campbell notching two kills down the stretch, including the final one of the match.
“It’s a bittersweet tournament for us. I am very proud of what this team accomplished this year, it was a step in the right direction,” Seattle U head volleyball coach James Finley said. “Today we struggled as a team, but we got a lot of heart and play from Martina, Kerry, and Stephanie, as they did all they could to help us, even when we were down. That bodes well for us as we look to the future.”
Samadan led the Redhawks with 14 kills and a .423 hitting percentage, plus she earned five block assists, while Stoll finished with nine kills and six total blocks. Lane collected 32 assists and eight digs, and Lani Beadle (Seattle, Wash.) led the backline with nine defensive digs.
Araujo notched a double-double with 21 kills and 14 digs, plus she posted a .486 hitting percentage, while Sawyer contributed 15 kills. O’Hagan earned eight kills and four total blocks, and Tucker-Campbell added seven kills and four block assists off the bench. Goncalves distributed 48 assists, and CSUB libero Mariah Alvidrez led all players with 20 defensive digs.
Seattle University (13-20) concludes the 2013 season and says goodbye to seniors Beadle, Farley, Jaeckel, and Karli Pedone (Granite Bay, Calif.). Ivanis, the WAC Freshman of the Year, as well as Second Team All-WAC honoree Samadan and WAC All-Freshman Team member Lane are eligible to return for the Redhawks next season.
“I really appreciate all the work the seniors did, how they hung in there and were willing to make changes to fall in line with what we were doing. To finish the year with a winning conference record, qualify for the postseason, and win a match in the WAC Tournament is very exciting for the future of our program,” Finley added.