Seattle University used a solid performance from junior Martina Samadan (Split, Croatia), combined with excellent defensive play by several players, to defeat Grand Canyon University, 3-1 (25-22, 33-31, 24-26, 25-21), Saturday afternoon in a Western Athletic Conference volleyball match at the Connolly Center.
Samadan earned a career-high 24 kills on 38 attempts, hitting .500 during the match, plus she earned an assist, a service ace, two digs, and six total blocks. Iris Ivanis (Pozega, Croatia) notched a double-double with 12 kills and 12 digs, as did Kerry Lane (Tucson, Ariz.) with 54 assists and a career-high 17 digs, most for the Redhawks in the contest.
“We knew today’s match was going to be a battle, and Grand Canyon did a great job of hitting the ball. They pushed us to the limit, but I am really proud of our players for finding a way to win,” Seattle U head volleyball coach James Finley said. “This was a great defensive match for us, and we were able to minimize the errors we were making in previous matches.”
After Grand Canyon scored the first two points of the match, Seattle U responded, scoring four of five points during one stretch to take an 11-7 lead. Down 20-16, the Antelopes scored four straight points, led by two kills from Megan Byrnes and a service ace by Natalie Tardy, to tie the set, but the Redhawks closed out the opening set with a 5-2 scoring run, punctuated by consecutive kills by Samadan and a kill by Ivanis.
The second set featured 22 ties and nine lead changes as neither team was able to extend its lead by more than two points at any time within the set. Each team enjoyed multiple chances to win the set, until Seattle U finally pulled out the second set thanks to a Grand Canyon service error and a block by Samadan and Lane.
Seattle U scored four unanswered points early in the third set, led by two kills from Jelena Vujcin (Becej, Serbia), to take a 12-7 lead. However, Grand Canyon once again fought back, erasing a late 23-21 deficit by scoring five of the final six points of the set, taking advantage of four Redhawk errors to extend the match into the fourth set.
Grand Canyon (12-9, 2-6 WAC) took an early 4-1 lead in the fourth set, capped by a service ace by Michelle Steagall, but the Redhawks would score four straight points to pull ahead, 5-4. The Antelopes went on their own 9-3 scoring run to open a five-point advantage, but Seattle U was determined to finish off the match, outscoring the Antelopes 13-4 down the stretch. Seniors Alec Goodrie (Springfield, Ore.) and Stephanie Stoll (Bellevue, Wash.) closed out the set and the match with a block.
Vujcin earned 11 kills in the match, while Stoll contributed eight kills and two block assists. Besides Lane and Ivanis, two other Redhawks reached double figures in digs, with Shelby Babcock (Chandler, Ariz.) collecting 16 digs and Kirstin Schauble (Meadow Vista, Calif.) finishing with 10 digs. In total, Seattle U finished with 71 defensive digs, its season high by 14.
Tardy and Shannon Dugan led Grand Canyon with 19 kills apiece, with Dugan also earning 12 digs and Tardy picking up 11 digs. Steagall dished out 38 assists, and libero Mackenzie Phelps also notched a double-double with 24 digs and 10 assists.
Seattle University (8-12, 4-3 WAC) will have a week to prepare for its next match, a home contest against Utah Valley University Saturday, Oct. 25, starting at 1 p.m. It is the annual Dig Pink match to raise awareness for breast cancer research, and it is also scheduled to be broadcast by the WAC Digital Network.