Seattle University received contributions from several players as it rallied to defeat Chicago State, 3-2 (23-25, 22-25, 25-15, 29-27, 15-8), Thursday night in a Western Athletic Conference volleyball match at the Seattle Academy Gymnasium.
Three players notched double-doubles using three different combinations of statistics, led by Matea Mamic (Split, Croatia) with 14 kills and 16 digs. Martina Samadan (Split, Croatia) earned 10 kills and 12 total blocks, the most blocks she has collected in a single match as a Redhawk and tied for the second-highest single-match total in program history. Kerry Lane (Tucson, Ariz.) took over the setting duties midway through the second set and finished with 28 assists and 10 defensive digs.
After the intermission, Seattle U jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the third set, led by two service aces apiece from Kirstin Schauble (Meadow Vista, Calif.) and Alyssa Deobler (Granada Hills, Calif.). Back-to-back service aces by Chicago State’s Melina Staengle closed the Redhawk lead to four at 13-9, but three Seattle U kills extended the lead once again, and the Redhawks clinched the third set on a block by Maja Stojanovic (Cacak, Serbia) and Cecilia Wu (Green Brook, N.J.) and a kill by Samadan.
Chicago State (1-21, 0-8 WAC) went on a 6-1 scoring run early in the fourth set, led by three kills from Elli Woinowsky, to take an 11-8 lead, but the Redhawks scored three straight points, including a kill and a block assist from Mamic, to pull into an 11-11 tie. Down 19-15 after a block by Staengle and Logan Miller, the Redhawks turned to Samadan, who earned a kill and two blocks to help the Redhawks pull even at 21-21.
A kill by Stojanovic gave Seattle U its first chance to win the set, but two kills by Staengle led to two Chicago State opportunities to win the match. A block by Samadan and Wu extended the set, and the Redhawks would finally clinch the fourth set on a Chicago State attack error and a service ace from Deobler.
Samadan earned a kill, joined with Lane on back-to-back blocks, and then earned a solo block to put the Redhawks on top in the fifth set, 5-2. The Cougars pulled to within one at 6-5 on a service ace by Woinowsky, but Seattle U closed out the set and the match with a 9-3 scoring run, as freshmen Wu and Mila Duarte (Lima, Peru) combined for six kills down the stretch.
Duarte earned eight kills and five digs, Stojanovic finished with seven kills on a .400 hitting percentage, and Wu contributed six kills, three digs, and three total blocks. Schauble collected 15 digs, three assists, and three service aces, and Deobler added eight digs and three service aces to the winning effort.
“It was a good team victory. We played a lot of freshmen tonight, and it was fun to see them become more effective as the match progressed. We also had outstanding play from Martina, Matea, and Kerry, all with double-doubles. We started eliminating errors later in the match, and we played really well offensively in the third and fifth sets,” Seattle U head coach James Finley said.
Seattle U opened the match by establishing a 9-3 lead in the first set, led by Samadan with two kills, two blocks, and a service ace. Chicago State went on a 6-1 scoring run, punctuated by consecutive kills from Miller, to close to within one before Seattle U scored four of the next five points. Down 20-16, the Cougars would close out the opening set with a 9-3 scoring run, clinching the first set on a kill by Woinowsky.
The Cougars took advantage of several Redhawk errors early in the second set, establishing a 12-4 lead thanks in part to two kills by Brianna Stewart. Later in the set, Seattle U scored seven unanswered points, led by Duarte with a kill and two blocks as well as Mamic with two service aces, but Chicago State grabbed four of the final five points of the set, earning the set win on kills by Miller and Stewart as well as a Redhawk ball-handling error.
Woinowsky led Chicago State offensively with 15 kills and three service aces, while Staengle finished with nine kills, three service aces, and 13 defensive digs. Cougar setter Corey Davis notched a double-double with 36 assists and 10 digs, while libero Shontanae Addison kept the Cougars in several points, leading all players with 21 defensive digs.
Seattle University (13-8, 5-3 WAC) will host Missouri-Kansas City Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m. at the Seattle Academy Gymnasium. It is the annual Dig Pink match, with special T-shirts available for a donation to the Side-Out Foundation, an organization designed to help people with breast cancer regain control of their lives. Live stats and live video of the match will be available on GoSeattleU.com.