MOSCOW, Idaho - Seattle U volleyball concluded the opening weekend of the 2023 campaign on Saturday evening, rebounding with a sweep of UC Riverside after dropping a matchup with North Dakota State earlier in the day. Both matches were played as a part of the Idaho Volleyball Classic at Memorial Gym on the campus of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho.
"Today was a great day for us overall," said Head Coach Michelle Cole. "We could tell that our team was a little surprised that their best effort didn't turn into a positive result this morning against a very good, veteran North Dakota State team. However, we took away how to be patience and focused on being resilient in our play and really came out to compete tonight. We focused on playing our style and playing for each other and you could really see that throughout this game.We were able to take the most out of this game and provide some of our athletes with an opportunity to play and get a true look at everyone on our roster. This group is proud of themselves for their effort tonight and I am extremely proud of how we performed this weekend."
GAME ONE
SCORING SUMMARY
Set 1: 25-21
Set 2: 24-26
Set 3: 17-25
Set 4: 10-25
MATCH NOTES
Seattle U opened the match strong, posting a season-high 18 kills in the first set.
Arianna Bilby led the team in kills with 15, while Yasemin Elmas (10) posted double-digit kills for the first time in her career and Naima Foster (10) also finished in double figures for the second consecutive game.
Elif Teksoy posted a career-best 38 assists to go along with eight digs, one kill and one total blocks.
Katlyn Sipes recorded a game-high 20 digs, while Bilby logged 10 to complete a double-double and Merima Smajlovic finished one short of double digits.
GAME TWO
SCORING SUMMARY
Set 1: 15-25
Set 2: 25-21
Set 3: 25-20
MATCH NOTES
The Redhawks dominated in this one, leading in points (49-39), aces (5-3), blocks (11-2) and digs (45-39).
Bilby marked double-digit kills (13) for the second consecutive match.
Marley Hardgrave marked six total blocks, while Smajlovic and Foster both recorded three each.
SIpes (10) has logged double-digit digs in all three games so far this season.
After the match, Idaho announced the All-Tournament team which included Arianna Bilby and Yasemin Elmas.
UP NEXT
Seattle U returns to action next weekend at the Eastern Washington Tournament in Cheney, Washington, with matchups against Eastern Washington and Pacific at 12 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively.
Stay connected with Seattle U volleyball and get all the latest team updates by downloading the GoSeattleU mobile app available now for free in the App Store or Google Play.
"Today was a great day for us overall," said Head Coach Michelle Cole. "We could tell that our team was a little surprised that their best effort didn't turn into a positive result this morning against a very good, veteran North Dakota State team. However, we took away how to be patience and focused on being resilient in our play and really came out to compete tonight. We focused on playing our style and playing for each other and you could really see that throughout this game.We were able to take the most out of this game and provide some of our athletes with an opportunity to play and get a true look at everyone on our roster. This group is proud of themselves for their effort tonight and I am extremely proud of how we performed this weekend."
GAME ONE
SCORING SUMMARY
Set 1: 25-21
Set 2: 24-26
Set 3: 17-25
Set 4: 10-25
MATCH NOTES
Seattle U opened the match strong, posting a season-high 18 kills in the first set.
Arianna Bilby led the team in kills with 15, while Yasemin Elmas (10) posted double-digit kills for the first time in her career and Naima Foster (10) also finished in double figures for the second consecutive game.
Elif Teksoy posted a career-best 38 assists to go along with eight digs, one kill and one total blocks.
Katlyn Sipes recorded a game-high 20 digs, while Bilby logged 10 to complete a double-double and Merima Smajlovic finished one short of double digits.
GAME TWO
SCORING SUMMARY
Set 1: 15-25
Set 2: 25-21
Set 3: 25-20
MATCH NOTES
The Redhawks dominated in this one, leading in points (49-39), aces (5-3), blocks (11-2) and digs (45-39).
Bilby marked double-digit kills (13) for the second consecutive match.
Marley Hardgrave marked six total blocks, while Smajlovic and Foster both recorded three each.
SIpes (10) has logged double-digit digs in all three games so far this season.
After the match, Idaho announced the All-Tournament team which included Arianna Bilby and Yasemin Elmas.
UP NEXT
Seattle U returns to action next weekend at the Eastern Washington Tournament in Cheney, Washington, with matchups against Eastern Washington and Pacific at 12 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively.
Stay connected with Seattle U volleyball and get all the latest team updates by downloading the GoSeattleU mobile app available now for free in the App Store or Google Play.