After defeating the University of Nevada in its first match of the day, 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 30-28), the Seattle University volleyball team pulled off one of its greatest victories in program history, sweeping the University of California on its home floor, 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-19), Saturday night to capture the Molten Classic title at Haas Pavilion.
Jelena Vujcin (Becej, Serbia) was named the tournament MVP after collecting 30 kills, 11 digs, nine total blocks, and five aces, all against California. Setter Kerry Lane (Tucson, Ariz.) finished with 78 assists and 19 digs to also earn All-Tournament status, as did freshman Maja Stojanovic (Cacak, Serbia) after leading the team with 15 total blocks over the weekend.
“This was a really great day today. This afternoon’s win set us up for tonight’s match against Cal. I am really pleased with the team, as they stayed positive, stuck with the game plan, blocked well, played good defense, and then generated the offense needed to win the first set,” Seattle U head coach James Finley said. “We had adversity, but the girls picked up the slack to take the second set, and then we made a run at the end of the third set to close out the match. This was a great team effort, and we are excited to build on what we did this weekend as we move forward.”
SEATTLE U 3, CALIFORNIA 0
In the first set of the de facto championship match, Iris Ivanis (Pozega, Croatia) earned a kill and a service ace to put the Redhawks ahead, but Cal scored five of the next six points to take a 6-4 lead. The Redhawks took advantage of three straight Bear attack errors to retake the lead, 12-9, and then four more Cal errors helped Seattle U increase that lead to 19-13. The Redhawks would clinch the opening set on a kill by Matea Mamic (Split, Croatia).
Cal (2-1) took the early lead in the second set thanks in part to a kill and a block by Lara Vukasovic, but Seattle U would put together a 10-2 scoring run midway through the set, led by Vujcin with two kills and three service aces, to pull ahead, 16-9. Down 21-12, the Golden Bears rallied with six unanswered points, including two kills and a block assist by Jenelle Jordan, but Seattle U buckled down and held off the charge, clinching the set on a kill by Stojanovic to take a 2-0 match lead into the intermission.
Seattle U seemed on its way to the sweep after taking a 9-6 lead in the third set, but Cal rallied back, scoring six unanswered points, featuring four blocks by Vukasovic, to pull ahead 12-9. Down 18-15, the Redhawks scored 10 of the final 11 points of the match, led by Shae Harris (Vancouver, B.C.), who took over as setter and collected eight assists and two service aces down the stretch. Her final assist went to Vujcin, who put the ball down for the tournament-clinching kill.
Vujcin finished the match with nine kills, six digs, five service aces, and two block assists, while Mamic also collected nine kills to go along with six digs and three total blocks. Defensively, Martina Samadan (Split, Croatia) led the Redhawks at the net with five total blocks, and libero Mary Orbeta (Alameda, Calif.) paced the backline with nine defensive digs.
Seattle U earned its first victory over a Pac-12 school since starting the transition to Division I status in 2008. Also, it is the first time the Redhawks have started the season 3-0 since 2002, when Seattle U won its first four matches of the season, all 3-0 victories.
SEATTLE U 3, NEVADA 0
In the match against Nevada, Vujcin led the Redhawks with 13 kills, plus she posted a .360 hitting percentage and collected four total blocks, and Stojanovic paced the team at the net with 10 total blocks to go along with five kills. Mamic earned eight kills, three service aces, and six digs, while Ivanis contributed seven kills and eight digs. Lane notched a double-double with 33 assists and 11 digs, plus she earned three kills and four blocks, and Orbeta led the defense with 16 digs.
Nevada (1-2) jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the first set thanks to eight Seattle U errors, but back-to-back blocks, both involving Samadan, started the Redhawk comeback. Seattle U went on an 8-1 scoring run, led by three blocks by Stojanovic and Lane and punctuated by consecutive kills from Vujcin, to pull ahead, 15-12. The Redhawks closed out the set with five unanswered points, three of them on kills by Ivanis.
Seattle U maintained its momentum at the start of the second set, scoring eight of the first nine points to take the lead. Nevada would close its deficit to three at 12-9 thanks to a service ace by Lyndsey Anderson, but the Redhawks responded with an 11-2 scoring run, led by three kills by Vujcin as well as two kills and three total blocks from Stojanovic. Vujcin would score the final two Seattle U points of the set with kills to give the Redhawks a 2-0 match lead at the intermission.
The Wolf Pack scored three of the first four points of the third set, but the Redhawks would score five unanswered points to pull ahead, 8-5. A service ace by Madison Foley capped a 6-2 Nevada run that put the Wolf Pack back on top, but once again the Redhawks responded, outscoring Nevada 7-2 to regain the lead at 17-13.
Foley once again led the Wolf Pack rally with four kills and a service ace to give Nevada a 23-22 advantage, but a block assist and a service ace by Mamic put the Redhawks on the brink of victory. The two teams held off a combined five set points before back-to-back kills by Mamic finally gave Seattle U the set and match victory.
Seattle University (3-0) heads across the state of Washington next weekend to Moscow, Idaho, for the Idaho Volleyball Classic, first taking on the host Vandals Friday, Sept. 4, at 7 p.m. The Redhawks will conclude the weekend Saturday, Sept. 5, with contests against Washington State at 10 a.m. and against UC Irvine at 4:30 p.m.