Seattle University showed flashes of offensive production, especially in the second and third sets, but Redhawk struggles in the other two sets as well as the ability for CSU Bakersfield to win key points allowed the Roadrunners to pick up a 3-1 victory (25-20, 27-25, 15-25, 25-15) Saturday afternoon in a Western Athletic Conference contest at the Seattle Academy Gymnasium.
Down two sets to zero and 9-7 in the third set after a block by Bakersfield’s Luiza Martins, Seattle U rattled off 10 unanswered points, led by Martina Samadan (Split, Croatia) with two kills and three total blocks. Later in the set, Matea Mamic (Split, Croatia) picked up back-to-back kills, and then the Redhawks clinched the set on a kill by Mila Duarte (Lima, Peru) and a service ace by Iris Ivanis (Pozega, Croatia).
CSU Bakersfield (4-11, 2-1 WAC) took control of the fourth set with a 6-1 scoring run, featuring two kills by Carol Grasso and a service ace from Kelsee Sawyer. The Redhawks closed to within one at 15-14 on consecutive service aces by Samadan, but the Roadrunners recovered and won 10 of the final 11 points, punctuated with kills by Grasso and Kortney Freeland.
Samadan led Seattle U with 14 kills, a .684 hitting percentage, two service aces, and five total blocks. Jelena Vujcin (Becej, Serbia) contributed 13 kills and a team-high nine digs, while Kerry Lane (Tucson, Ariz.) dished out 44 assists to go along with eight digs, Mamic earned nine kills over the course of the final three sets, and Duarte added six kills and four total blocks.
In the first set, Bakersfield scored four of the first five points before a kill and a service ace by Vujcin allowed the Redhawks to tie the set at 5-5. The Roadrunners would go on a 9-1 scoring run, led by Sydney Haynes with two kills and two total blocks, to open an eight-point lead, but a block assist and a kill by Samadan pulled the Redhawks to within two at 17-15. Bakersfield scored four straight points, the last two on service aces by Sawyer, on its way to taking the first set thanks to a kill by Grasso.
Three early kills by Edithza Urias in the second set allowed Bakersfield to take the lead, 12-7, but the Redhawks rallied with four unanswered points, capped by a block assist and a kill by Maja Stojanovic (Cacak, Serbia), to tie the set at 15-15. A block by Freeland and Urias put the Roadrunners back on top by three, but three kills by Samadan buoyed another Seattle U comeback, tying the set at 23-23. The Roadrunners would hold off the Redhawk comeback thanks to three kills by Grasso and a set-clinching kill from Martins.
“Bakersfield came in with a great game plan, and they worked really hard to execute it. I am a little disappointed with our mental preparation to be ready for this team. We settled down and generated some amazing offense in the second and third sets, which we are capable of doing all the time, but all of the pieces need to be clicking together. We are going to go back and work hard to get ready for next week,” Seattle U head coach James Finley said.
Grasso led the Roadrunners with 16 kills, with Sawyer contributing 12 kills and three service aces. Martins accumulated 44 assists as well as a team-high nine digs, and Haynes added 10 kills on 18 attempts without an error along with four total blocks.
Seattle University (11-6, 3-1 WAC) heads back on the road next weekend, making the quick trip to Orem, Utah, to face Utah Valley next Saturday, Oct. 10, starting at 1 p.m. local time (12 noon Pacific Time). The Redhawks play their next home match Thursday, Oct. 22, against Chicago State to begin the second half of the conference season.