Once again, Seattle University received a total team effort, defeating Missouri-Kansas City, 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 25-19, 25-18), Saturday afternoon in a Western Athletic Conference volleyball match at the Seattle Academy Gymnasium, completing a sweep of the weekend contests as well as of the Kangaroos.
Martina Samadan (Split, Croatia) led all players with 17 kills, a .556 hitting percentage, four service aces, and six total blocks, as she went 13-for-17 without an error on attacks in the third and fourth sets. Jelena Vujcin (Becej, Serbia) finished with 15 kills and a .323 hitting percentage, Kerry Lane (Tucson, Ariz.) notched her second double-double in as many matches with 44 assists and 12 digs, and Iris Ivanis (Pozega, Croatia) collected 16 digs and four service aces.
“We started out making a lot of errors in the first two sets, which kept the match close, but I think we recovered and got better in evaluating our opponent and the changes they were making, which helped us, plus we made some adjustments on serve receive, which I was happy about,” Seattle U head coach James Finley said. “Kerry finished strong for us, fighting through some early struggles, and Iris’s run of serves in the fourth set helped us get the separation we needed.”
Early in the first set, Seattle U scored five unanswered points, led by two Samadan service aces, to take a 9-6 lead. Later in the set, UMKC went on a 6-2 scoring run, including two service aces by Nicole Wemhoff, to pull ahead 21-19, but the Redhawks would score five of the final six points of the opening set, clinching it on a kill by Vujcin.
The Redhawks opened the second set with a 5-1 scoring run, but the Kangaroos chipped away at the Seattle U lead, eventually pulling ahead 10-9 on a kill by Madison Mosier. After a Samadan service ace gave Seattle U a 16-15 advantage, UMKC closed out the second set with a 10-2 scoring run, punctuated by consecutive kills from Mosier that tied the match at one set apiece.
UMKC (11-10, 4-5 WAC) scored three of the first four points of the third set, the last two on blocks that both involved Emma Dyer, but Seattle U would go on a 6-2 scoring run, led by Samadan with four kills, to go on top, 8-6. Later in the set, a kill by Jessica Hendin closed the UMKC deficit to two at 18-16, but the Redhawks responded with a 7-3 scoring run, paced again by Samadan with two kills and a block, as Matea Mamic (Split, Croatia) earned a kill to claim the set for Seattle U.
After two kills and a service ace by Samadan put Seattle U ahead in the fourth set, 5-3, UMKC scored six unanswered points, led by Meagan Kerns with a kill and a block assist. The Redhawks responded with eight straight points of their own, featuring two kills and a block assist apiece from Samadan and Vujcin as well as two service aces by Ivanis. Vujcin closed out the set and the match with consecutive kills.
Mamic finished with nine kills and eight digs, and Mila Duarte (Lima, Peru) contributed seven kills to the victory. The Redhawks hit .250 for the match as they collected 50 kills and 10 team blocks, while the Kangaroos were held to a .169 hitting percentage as they earned 42 kills and four team blocks during the afternoon.
Seattle University (14-8, 6-3 WAC) takes its final regular season road trip of the season, facing CSU Bakersfield Thursday, Oct. 29, and Grand Canyon Saturday, Oct. 31.