WAKE-UP CALL: With just two weeks remaining in the conference regular season, Seattle University sits in fourth place in the league standings, one game behind Saturday’s opponent, the Utah Valley Wolverines. The Redhawks will host their final three league contests of the year, hoping to use the home-court advantage to move up in the standings before the start of the WAC Tournament. The Redhawks are looking for a better match against the Wolverines than the one they played in Orem, Utah, last month. Due to a change in Utah Valley’s travel plans, Saturday’s match will now start at 11 a.m. at the Seattle Academy Gymnasium.
THE PREVIOUS WEEK: Seattle University could not maintain the momentum from winning the first set against CSU Bakersfield last Thursday, losing to the Roadrunners in four sets (21-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-19). Martina Samadan earned 15 kills with just one attack error in 25 attempts for a .560 hitting percentage, including the 1,000th kill of her entire collegiate career. Matea Mamic earned 10 kills, eight digs, and three total blocks, and Iris Ivanis led the team with 10 digs and four service aces. Saturday, Seattle U picked up a 3-0 victory over Grand Canyon (25-22, 25-22, 25-20), with the score line nearly identical to the Redhawks’ victory over the Antelopes Oct. 1. GCU scored one more point in the second set last Saturday, but the first and third set scores were exactly the same in the two meetings. Samadan collected 18 kills in 30 attempts with just one error for a .567 hitting percentage, while Mamic notched a double-double with 10 kills and 14 digs. The Redhawks collected 57 digs, averaging 19 digs per set, led by Ivanis with a career-high 21 digs.
SCOUTING UTAH VALLEY: The Wolverines enter Saturday’s match with a 13-11 overall record, including an 8-3 record within the Western Athletic Conference, good enough for third place in the league standings. As a team, Utah Valley is hitting .238 and averaging 12.22 kills, 1.38 service aces, 12.45 digs, and 2.65 blocks per set. Abby Jensen leads the team with 242 kills, plus she is tied for second on the team with 164 digs. Lauren Bakker is right behind Jensen with 229 kills, plus she leads the team with a .345 hitting percentage and 110 total blocks. Sierra Starley has been the team’s setter throughout the season, collecting 779 assists along with a team-high 31 service aces and 164 digs. Sabrina Tanner leads the Wolverines with 227 digs, plus she is second on the squad with 23 service aces.