PHOENIX, Ariz. ā On Tuesday, Seattle U volleyball fell 3-1 (13-25, 20-25, 26-24, 17-25) to Grand Canyon, to wrap up the road portion of its Western Athletic Conference schedule. The Redhawks (2-10) finished with a slim 6-5 advantage in aces, but trailed GCU (10-2) in digs, 91-77, and blocks, 12-10. The SU attack hit .057, while the Antelopes converted at a .225-clip.
Amaris Carter led the Redhawks on both sides of the net, registering her second double-double of the season, as she finished with 11 kills and a career-best 17 digs. She rounded out her stat line with two aces and three blocks. Nicole Taylor also had a career-night with 10 kills.
Also contributing for the SU cause was Sophia Bertotti Metoyer and Sam Hayward with five kills and two blocks. Hayward also had nine digs. Tijana Milojevic recorded a match-high 27 digs, while Kylie Waters had a career-best 13. Ezgi Ozkan finished with 23 assists.
After dropping the opening two sets, the Redhawks found their rhythm in the third. Seattle U squeezed out to a 7-5 lead with consecutive strikes from Carter and an ace from Sam Hayward as part of a 5-1 run. GCU stayed close scoring back-to-back points to force ties at 7-7, 9-9, 10-10. Taylor then landed a pair of kills helping Seattle U piece together a 3-1 spurt. Grand Canyon narrowed the margin to 14-13, but surrendered consecutive errors to push the SU advantage back to three. Down the stretch, the Lopes slipped out to 20-19 lead behind a 5-1 run. Taylor then tied the frame before Lilly Eason dropped in an ace, giving the Redhawks a two-point cushion. From there it was back-and-forth with GCU forcing four ties. Tied at 24, Seattle U escaped with the set point thanks in part to back-to-back miscues from the Antelopes.
The Redhawks carried momentum into the fourth, using a pair of 3-0 spurts to claim a 10-7 lead. Grand Canyon answered back with a 5-1 rally, moving out to a 12-11 lead. Taylor immediately tied the set with another kill. From there, GCU pushed out to a 17-14 lead before securing the set and match with a 8-3 run.
A slow start by the Redhawks allowed GCU to jump out to a 7-3 lead in the first. They responded by tying the frame with a 4-0 run. Carter fueled the rally with a kill and a pair of aces. The Lopes however regained an advantage scoring nine of the next 12 points, pushing the score to 16-10. The Redhawk deficit then reached double-digits down the stretch before the GCU claimed the opening set, 25-13.
Trailing 10-5 in the second, Seattle U chipped away at the deficit with strikes from Taylor and Hayward while a block from Sophia Bertotti Metoyer made it 12-9. Grand Canyon then strung together a 4-1 rally, pushing the score to 16-10. The Redhawks though did not back down as they again trimmed the deficit to three as Carter chipped in two more kills while McCabe and Hayward teamed up for a stop to make it 17-14. The Antelopes stretched the gap to seven, 22-15, just before a late 4-1 push by Seattle U but it was not enough as GCU took the frame, 25-20.
The Redhawks will resume action next week as they conclude the regular season slate against California Baptist at home on March 22-23. First serve of the series opener is scheduled for 6 pm.
NOTES:
ā¢ Tijana Milojevic became the fifth Redhawk in the program's Division I-era to appear in 100 career matches.