BOX SCORE
ORLANDO - (Sept. 10) A balanced attack, big blocks and a great finish propelled Seattle University volleyball to a 25-22, 21-25, 25-23, 12-25, 15-9 win over Florida Atlantic Saturday at the the Holiday Inn Orlando East UCF Area Classic in Orlando.
Leading two sets to one after staving off a late Owls’ push, victory seemed in jeopardy as momentum shifted in the fourth set. The Redhawks hit -.037 in the set as FAU ran away with a 25-12 win.
But SU (5-4) was not finished. After the Owls (4-7) took an early 3-1 lead, SU reeled off five straight points, capped by back-to-back Maja Stojanovic kills. Katarina Marinkovic and Matea Mamic put down back-to-back kills to stretch the lead to 8-4, forcing FAU to take it’s second timeout.
Seattle U did not let off the gas, and FAU never threatened. A block by Mila Duarte and Kory White gave the Redhawks set and match points.
“We had a great finish after stumbling a bit,” said SU Head Coach James Finley. “We learned a lot from this match today, and got good performances from Mila and Iris (Ivanis).”
Mamic led three Redhawks with double-digit kills, finishing with 14. Stojanovic and Marinkovic had 10 kills apiece while Duarte added nine.
Iris Ivanis had a match-high 19 digs while SU was also solid at the net, earning a 12.0-7.0 advantage in blocks. White had seven block assists, Duarte had five block assists and Stojanovic had two solo blocks and three block assists.
Seattle U wraps up play in the Holiday Inn Orlando East UCF Area Classic Sunday, facing host Central Florida at 11 a.m. Pacific.