The Seattle University volleyball team closed out its participation in the 2014 Invitational in Seattle, a tournament it co-hosted with the University of Washington, with a 3-0 loss (25-23, 25-23, 25-14) to the UC Davis Aggies Saturday night at the Connolly Center.
Matea Mamic (Split, Croatia) once again led the Redhawk offense with 11 kills, earning All-Tournament honors for the second time this season. Martina Samadan (Split, Croatia) earned seven kills and three total blocks, while Stephanie Stoll (Bellevue, Wash.) finished the match with four kills and a team-high five total blocks.
“I am disappointed in the individual play as well as the overall team effort tonight,” Seattle U head coach James Finley said. “Matea played another good match and earned her spot on the All-Tournament Team, but we have to perform better during this upcoming road trip if we want to get to the level we aspire to.”
UC Davis (3-6) took a 6-2 lead in the first set thanks to consecutive service aces by Erika Conners, but Seattle U responded with its own 9-2 scoring run to pull ahead, 11-8. Down by two later in the set, the Aggies went on an 8-1 scoring run, led by three kills apiece from Valerie Brain and Allie Wegener, to go on top, 23-18. Three kills by Mamic helped the Redhawks pull into a 23-23 tie, but kills by Wegener and Kaylin Squyres clinched the opening set for UC Davis.
The Aggies scored five unanswered points early in the second set to take an 8-4 lead, but Seattle U scored five of the next six points to tie the set at 9-9. After the Aggies pulled ahead 13-11, the Redhawks scored five straight points, but UC Davis answered with three straight points of its own. Kills by Mamic and Stoll helped the Redhawks establish a 20-17 advantage, but Wegener earned two kills to pull the Aggies into a 20-20 tie. A service ace by Sophia Mar and a Redhawk attack error gave the second set to UC Davis.
After Seattle U scored the first two points after the intermission, UC Davis went on an 8-2 run to once again take the lead, 8-4. Kills by Mamic and Kerry Lane (Tucson, Ariz.) closed the Redhawk deficit to two at 11-9, but the Aggies responded with a 10-3 scoring run, capped by consecutive kills from Squyres. UC Davis scored the final three points of the match, with Squyres earning a service ace to give the Aggies the victory.
Squyres notched a double-double, leading the Aggies with 10 kills and 13 digs, plus she had two service aces and two block assists. Wegener contributed nine kills, four digs, and two solo blocks, with three other players picking up five kills apiece. Mar earned 13 assists, two kills, two service aces, and five digs, while fellow setter Conners finished with 11 assists, five service aces, and three digs. UC Davis libero Megan Lancaster helped the Aggie defense with 12 digs.
The fifth-ranked Washington Huskies won the team title with three victories, led by tournament MVP Krista Vansant and All-Tournament honorees Lianna Sybeldon and Katy Beals. UNLV defeated Seattle U Friday night and UC Davis earlier Saturday, with Bree Hammel and Alexis Patterson earning All-Tournament recognition, as did Katie Quinn of UC Davis.
Seattle University (2-7) hits the road in the upcoming week, first stopping in Cheney, Wash., to face Eastern Washington Tuesday, Sept. 16, starting at 6 p.m. The Redhawks continue on to Missoula, Mont., for a road contest against the University of Montana Thursday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. local time, and a neutral site match against Gonzaga University Friday, Sept. 19, also at 7 p.m. Mountain Time.