The Seattle University volleyball team battled one of the top teams in the country, but the offense of second-ranked Texas prevailed, as the Longhorns defeated the Redhawks, 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-15), Saturday afternoon as the Lobo Classic concluded at the Johnson Center.
Matea Mamic (Split, Croatia) once again led the Seattle U offense with eight kills and a service ace, and she was named to the All-Tournament Team after finishing the weekend with 33 kills, 12 digs, five service aces, and five total blocks. Stephanie Stoll (Bellevue, Wash.) led Seattle U at the net with four total blocks, while Iris Ivanis (Pozega, Croatia) earned six digs to go along with four kills and Kerry Lane (Tucson, Ariz.) finished with 23 assists.
“I’m really happy with the growth of the team over the course of this weekend’s matches. We played with intensity against Texas. We have to continue to work on eliminating errors, which will enable us to progress as we need to this season,” head coach James Finley said.
In the first set, a kill by Alec Goodrie (Springfield, Ore.) gave Seattle U an early 4-3 lead, but Texas responded with five unanswered points, with Sara Hattis earning a solo block and a kill. Martina Samadan (Split, Croatia) earned a kill and a block to close the Redhawk deficit to one at 9-8, but the Longhorns extended their advantage with six unanswered points, five coming off kills from Amy Neal. After exchanging the next several points with Seattle U, Texas closed out the set with five straight points, with Nicole Dalton earning two service aces and Hattis finishing the set with a kill.
Once again in the second set, Seattle U stuck with Texas in the early going before the Longhorns went on an 8-2 scoring run, punctuated by two kills from Pilar Victoria, to open a 17-10 advantage. The Longhorns dominated at the net late in the set, blocking three straight Redhawk attack attempts, with Hattis involved in all of the blocks. After Lane notched a kill, Texas won the final three points of the set on kills by three different players.
The Redhawks started the third set ahead 4-2 thanks to a kill by Stoll and a service ace by Mamic, but Texas responded with a 9-2 scoring run to pull ahead, 11-6. After a block by Mamic and Stoll closed the Seattle U deficit to three at 14-11, the Longhorns went on another 9-3 run, with Khat Bell notching a kill and two total blocks. Bell would close out the set and the match with a service ace.
Before Saturday’s match, the volleyball team headed to Tim’s Place for breakfast and inspiration. The restaurant is owned by Tim Harris, a young man who has competed in numerous Special Olympics competitions throughout New Mexico, winning dozens of gold medals. Tim is a national spokesperson for Special Olympics, speaking on behalf of the organization in Seattle during its annual fundraising breakfast this past May.
Finley attended the Special Olympics breakfast and was moved by Tim’s story, and when he found out about the restaurant and committed to Seattle U’s participation in the Lobo Classic, he made sure that the team would eat at Tim’s Place and meet “Tim the Man”. As advertised, Tim was a gracious and welcoming host, and the team gave Tim a group hug after their meal.
Seattle University (1-2) will spend the next two weekends hosting tournaments, starting with the Redhawk Invitational Sept. 4-6. The Redhawks will face the Pacific Tigers Thursday, Sept. 4, Lafayette College Friday, Sept. 5, and Oregon State Saturday, Sept. 6, with all Seattle U matches during the tournament starting at 7 p.m.