BOX SCORE
SEATTLE - (Nov. 12) Seattle University volleyball celebrated its Senior Day with a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Western Athletic Conference opponent Grand Canyon Saturday afternoon in the Connolly Complex.
Following a prematch ceremony to honor seniors Matea Mamic, Iris Ivanis and Kerry Lane, the Redhawks (13-14, 6-8 WAC) looked in trouble early, dropping the first two sets to the Lopes (5-21, 1-13 WAC). But behind the efforts of seniors Ivanis and Lane, along with freshmen Katarina Marinkovic and Kory White, Seattle U rallied for a 21-25, 26-28, 25-18, 25-19, 15-11 victory.
Ivanis finished with a match-high 27 digs and Lane recorded a double-double with 45 assists and 12 digs. Marinkovic put down a match-high 18 kills while White added 12 kills on 18 attempts and just two errors (.556). Sophomore Maja Stojanovic chipped in 10 kills and White added nine total blocks for a near double-double.
The Redhawks led for much of the first set, but a late rally by GCU turned a 17-11 advantage into 25-21 setback. The Lopes continued to hold momentum through the second set, hanging on for the 28-26 win headed into the 10-minute break.
But the tide would turn in the third set as Seattle U broke open a 14-14 tie with four straight points, including a pair of kills by freshman Cecilia Wu. The Redhawks would close out the match and take a 25-18 win.
SU never trailed in the fourth set on its way to a 25-19 win and setting up the fifth and deciding set. Trailing 5-3 early, the Redhawks strung together four straight points, including a White kill and block by White and Lane, to take a 7-5 lead.
They would trail briefly just once more, 8-9, but came out of a timeout and scored six of the final eight points of the match.
Earning the No. 6 seed in next week’s WAC Championship Tournament, the Redhawks will open play on Thursday, Nov. 17 against No. 3 seed CSU Bakersfield. First serve from the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M., is scheduled for 5 p.m. Central, 3 p.m. Pacific. All tournament matches will stream live on the WAC Digital Network.