Thanks to continued dominance at the net as well as a vastly improved service game from the previous night, Seattle University defeated Lafayette College, 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-17) Friday night in the third match of the Redhawk Invitational at the Connolly Center.
Freshman Jelena Vujcin (Becej, Serbia) led the Redhawks with 11 kills, hitting .435 for the match, plus she earned two service aces. Martina Samadan (Split, Croatia) finished with five kills and nine total blocks, while Iris Ivanis (Pozega, Croatia) played a solid all-around match with four kills, two service aces, seven digs, and five total blocks. Kirstin Schauble (Meadow Vista, Calif.) led the Redhawks with four service aces, and freshman libero Shelby Babcock (Chandler, Ariz.) contributed two service aces and seven digs.
“The girls did really well and were consistent. I am proud of the leadership Martina and Kerry (Lane) gave, and it gave some of our other players a chance at more playing time,” Seattle U head volleyball coach James Finley said. “Jelena was phenomenal tonight, hitting over .400 as we gave her more balls to hit. I think tonight’s performance will help get us ready for Oregon State tomorrow night.”
The Redhawks jumped out to a 10-1 lead in the opening set, with Samadan earning two kills and two block assists. The Leopards scored four straight points on two kills by Jet Manzi and two service aces from Kelly Flynn, but Seattle U would extend its lead thanks to a 9-2 scoring run, and Ivanis notched a service ace to close out the first set.
Lafayette (1-4) scored the first two points of the second set, but Seattle U took control thanks to a 9-2 scoring run. Schauble earned three straight service aces midway through the set as the Redhawks kept expanding the lead, with Vujcin collecting a kill for the final point of the set, giving the home team a 2-0 match lead.
Ivanis earned two blocks and a kill as Seattle U scored the first four points of the third set, but Lafayette kept fighting, closing its deficit to two at 14-12 on a service ace by Manzi and a kill from Danielle Towslee. The Redhawks would outscore the Leopards 10-3 to bring about match point, and on the third try, Vujcin earned a kill to clinch the set and the match.
Manzi led the Leopards with eight kills and seven digs, while libero Lauren Pisauro led all players with 11 defensive digs. Lafayette collected more attack errors (30) than kills (21), allowing the Redhawks to accumulate 11 service aces and 13 team blocks during the night.
In the second match of the Redhawk Invitational, Oregon State swept Pacific, 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-19), behind a double-double by Mary-Kate Marshall with 14 kills and 10 digs. Lexi Elman of Pacific also notched a double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs.
Seattle University (2-3) will face Oregon State in the final match of the Redhawk Invitational Saturday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m. The Beavers begin the day with a 10 a.m. contest against Lafayette, with the Leopards moving on to face Pacific at 3 p.m. Live stats and video for all three matches will be available on GoSeattleU.com.