SEATTLE — Seattle U volleyball fell in three sets, 3-0, as it wrapped up it's two-match series at home with Tarleton on Tuesday. With the result, the Redhawks slipped to 0-4 on the year and in conference play.
Sophia Bertotti Metoyer paced the Seattle U offense as she notched team-highs in hitting, .321, and kills, 10, while also adding two blocks to her stat line. Eve Kerschenbaum followed with eight kills, while Lauren McCabe had seven. Each also finished with a pair of blocks.
Ezgi Ozkan had 33 assists, while chipping in on defense with seven digs and block. Tijana Milojevic again anchored the backline finishing with a team-best 20 digs.
For the match, the Redhawks trailed Tarleton 42-39 in kills, .269-.138 in hitting, 9-5 in blocks and 63-61 in digs.
After battling through three ties early in the first, Seattle U held a slim 7-5 advantage thanks in part to three kills from Bertotti Metoyer. The lead quickly disappeared however as the Texans answered with a pair of 3-0 spurts to slip out to an 11-8 lead. Back-to-back kills from Kerschenbaum then fueled a 5-1 rally for the Redhawks as they regained the lead, 13-12. The sides then traded tallies down the stretch, pushing the score to 17-all. The Redhawks scored twice more but it was not enough as Tarleton accounted for eight of the final 10 points.
Trailing 6-4 in the second, the Redhawks registered two quick kills with help from Bertotti Metoyer and Sanchez to pull level at six. They would then force ties at seven and eight, before the Texans used a 4-1 run to claim a 12-9 advantage. The Redhawks then notched a 5-2 run, twice pulling level at 13-13 and 14-all. Down the stretch, Seattle U evened the score twice more but were unable to regain move out front. Tied at 17, Tarleton again slipped away late as it closed the frame with a 8-3 run.
In the third, the Redhawks were knocked off balance early as they slipped to 6-0 deficit, before Nicole Taylor buried a kill to put Seattle U on the board. A pair of kills from Amaris Carter provided a spark to the Redhawk attack, to make it 12-5, but was extinguished by a 4-1 run as the Texans assumed a double-figure lead. Trailing 19-10, kills from Julia Queiroz and Bertotti Metoyer helped Seattle U trimmed the deficit to six late, 20-14. Tarleton though re-inflated the margin to 10 with a 4-0 run. Down 24-14, the Redhawks made put together a late flurry, closing the gap to six, but the effort fell short as the Texans took the set, 25-18.
Seattle U will look to bounce back next with the first of two matches at Chicago State, scheduled for Monday, Feb. 15. First serve is from the Windy City is slated for 4 pm PT.