WELCOME TO MIAMI: Thanks to two victories in Tennessee, the Seattle University volleyball team is back above .500 as it heads to Florida for the FIU/Miami Challenge. The Redhawks will first head to Florida International University to take on Central Florida Thursday morning before making the trip to Coral Gables for a night match against the Miami Hurricanes. Friday, the team returns to FIU for contests against Bethune Cookman and the host Panthers. These will be the final non-conference matches for Seattle U until November, as the WAC schedule awaits.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE INVITATIONAL: Seattle University won two of three matches it played in the tournament hosted by the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. The Redhawks played a competitive match against Kansas State to start the weekend, but the Wildcats, on the cusp of entering the top 25 coaches poll, defeated Seattle U 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-23). Martina Samadan led the Redhawks with 13 kills and a .667 hitting percentage, the fourth-best single match percentage in program history. Samadan continued her strong play against her former school, helping Seattle U defeat VCU 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-14). Matea Mamic led the Redhawks with 11 kills and nine digs, while Samadan contributed eight kills and six total blocks. After a day off, Seattle U returned to action Monday and defeated host Middle Tennessee in four sets (30-28, 21-25, 25-23, 25-21). Samadan again led the way for the Redhawks with 14 kills and a .481 hitting percentage, while Iris Ivanis notched a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs. Mamic contributed nine kills, eight digs, and four service aces. Defensively, Seattle U earned 12 team blocks, with Maja Stojanovic leading the way with nine block assists, followed by Jelena Vujcin with seven total blocks to go along with eight kills, five digs, and two service aces.