BOX SCORE
SEATTLE - (Sept. 29) Returning to the friendly confines of the Connolly Complex following a three-week road swing, the Seattle University volleyball team earned a 25-21, 25-22, 25-21 sweep of UMKC in Western Athletic Conference play Thursday night.
Freshman Katarina Marinkovic led all players with 12 kills to go along with 10 digs for a double-double. Maja Stojanovic and Matea Mamic added nine kills each and the Redhawks (8-8, 1-2 WAC) hit .288 for the match.
“It’s so wonderful to be home,” said SU Head Coach James Finley. “I loved the complete energy from beginning to end. Every time UMKC made a run, we looked the same. Our positive energy remained.
“We generated good offense, our middle were exceptional and I was proud of our consistency,” Finley added.
Stojanovic hit .500 for the match, earning her nine kills on 16 swings with just one error. She also added a pair of block assists. Fellow middle Kory White added six kills and two block assists.
The Redhawks also dominated on serve with 11 aces to UMKC’s three.
SU never trailed in the first set, opening up an early 10-4 lead that forced a UMKC (8-7, 1-1 WAC) timeout. The Roos rallied to within one out of the break, 11-10, but SU opened the set back up, taking a 20-13 advantage and going on to claim a 25-21 win.
The Redhawks battled from behind in set two, trailing until a late run capped by a Matea Mamic service ace knotted the score, 20-20. Following a UMKC time out, SU took its first lead of the set, 21-20, on a block by Stojanovic and Marinkovic.
An attack error by UMKC opened up a two-point Redhawks lead and they never looked back in the 25-22 win.
Momentum stayed in SU’s favor in the third set as they broke open a 10-10 tie with a 5-1 run. The Roos would rally late, staving off three match points before an attack error sealed the victory for SU.
Seattle U continues the two-match homestead Saturday, hosting Chicago State at 1 p.m. in the Connolly Complex.