The Seattle University volleyball team played a strong first set, but the powerful offense of the fifth-ranked Washington Huskies proved to be too much, as the home team defeated the Redhawks, 3-0 (25-20, 25-7, 25-14), Thursday night in the opening match of the Invitational at Seattle at Alaska Airlines Arena.
Martina Samadan (Split, Croatia) led the Redhawks with eight kills, a .438 hitting percentage, and two total blocks, while Matea Mamic (Split, Croatia) contributed seven kills while hitting .357 during the match. Kerry Lane (Tucson, Ariz.) dished out 26 assists, and Shelby Babcock (Chandler, Ariz.) led the backline with five defensive digs.
Two kills each by Krista Vansant and Kaleigh Nelson allowed Washington to take a 5-1 lead in the first set, but the Redhawks battled back, closing their deficit to one at 11-10 on a kill by Iris Ivanis (Pozega, Croatia). Washington was able to maintain the lead, pulling away late and clinching the first set with a kill by Tia Scambray.
Washington (7-0) dominated the second set, scoring the first seven points thanks in part to two kills and a block assist apiece by Nelson and Melanie Wade. The Huskies went on another significant scoring run, earning eight straight points, led by Vansant and Lianna Sybeldon with three kills each. Vansant would close out the set with a kill, giving the Huskies a 2-0 match lead.
The Redhawks started out better after the intermission, trading points with the Huskies until kills by Wade and Vansant allowed Washington to open a 10-6 lead. Seattle U battled back to within one at 14-13 on consecutive kills by Stephanie Stoll (Bellevue, Wash.) as well as one from Mamic, but Washington would score 11 of the final 12 points of the match, led by Vansant with three kills and a block assist, including the final point of the set and the match on a kill.
“The competition was good. We believe that if we are going to play at this level, we have to learn to deal with good offensive players, a big block, and other things like that,” Seattle U head volleyball coach James Finley said. “Martina had a great match tonight, and I liked that we came right back after a bad second set and stuck with our game plan in the third set. I thought we did a nice job of executing the middle against a big block, thanks to good timing and good adjustments.”
Vansant, the National Player of the Year last season, led everyone with 18 kills, hitting .483 during the match, plus she earned six digs, while Sybeldon finished with eight kills on 10 attack attempts. Wade and Nelson collected seven kills and three block assists apiece, setter Katy Beals finished with 28 assists, and Cassie Strickland led all players with 13 defensive digs.
Seattle University (2-5) returns to the comforts of the Connolly Center for the rest of the weekend, hosting UNLV Friday, Sept. 12, at 1 p.m., and UC Davis Saturday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. Live stats and live video will be offered for both matches on GoSeattleU.com.