FAIRFAX, Va. - Seattle U volleyball concluded the 2023 non-conference tournament schedule on Saturday, completing comeback victories over George Mason and Albany in five sets and four sets, respectively. Both matches were played at the Recreation & Athletic Complex on the campus of George Mason as part of the Patriot Invite in Fairfax, Va.
GAME ONE
SCORING SUMMARY
Set 1: 25-16
Set 2: 7-25
Set 3: 18-25
Set 4: 25-20
Set 5: 15-9
MATCH NOTES
Seattle U claimed eight of nine points late in set one to take it, recording seven kills in that span.
The Redhawks will fall behind after struggling in sets two and three but never felt out of it, ratting off five points to open the fourth set.
George Mason took the first two points of set five but SU would claim six straight to take commanding lead and never looked back.
In the three set wins by the Redhawks, they combined for a hitting percentage of .264 with 32 overall kills.
Arianna Bilby posted her sixth double-double of the young campaign with 10 kills and 10 digs, while Merima Smajlovic (eight kills, 15 digs) finished just two kills shy of a double-double of her own.
Marley Hardgrave set new career-highs in kills (10) and points (13.5) to go along with five total blocks (two solo, three assists).
Naima Foster (eight kills, three digs) accounted for 9.5 points, while Yasemin Elmas (six kills, four total blocks) notched 8.5 points.
Elif Teksoy continued her strong performances at setter, assisting on 32 points to go along with seven digs, two total blocks and one service ace.
Katlyn Sipes (12 digs) continues to play very well at libero, registering double digit digs in all but one contest this season.
GAME TWO
SCORING SUMMARY
Set 1: 16-25
Set 2: 25-21
Set 3: 27-25
Set 4: 25-23
MATCH NOTES
The Redhawks tied their best total block (11) and overall digs (64) performance and set a season-high in block assists (20).
Bilby snatches her seventh double-double of the year, recording 18 kills, 12 digs and scoring 19.5 points.
Foster (11 kills) finishes in double figure kills for the ninth time this season, while Hardgrave has another strong performance with eight kills and five block assists. Bilby and Hardgrave both hit over .300 in this contest with the former hitting .300 and the latter hitting .353.
Teksoy grabs her second double-double of the year with 40 assists and 10 digs to go along with five block assists and one kill.
Smajlovic logged 13 digs to go along with three block assists, while Sipes finished with 11 kills and Erin Goya grabbed her first double figures match of the year.
Elmas finished one block shy of tying her career-high of six total blocks.
COACH COLE'S THOUGHTS
"We decided we were going to execute no matter what the situation was," said Head Coach Michelle Cole. "I could tell we were tired but they were determined and just played really gritty volleyball. At times where we thought we might be out of it, we hung on and battled back. Our front row gave us some huge blocks and Arianna came up big in some important spots. After a tough loss to Middle Tennessee yesterday, we decided we were just going to give more than anyone else and we didn't care what that was going to look like. I am so proud of this group and the way they responded today."
UP NEXT
Seattle U begins Western Athletic Conference (WAC) play this upcoming week, opening with Abilene Christian on Thursday at 4 p.m. pacific time in Abilene, Texas.
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.
GAME ONE
SCORING SUMMARY
Set 1: 25-16
Set 2: 7-25
Set 3: 18-25
Set 4: 25-20
Set 5: 15-9
MATCH NOTES
Seattle U claimed eight of nine points late in set one to take it, recording seven kills in that span.
The Redhawks will fall behind after struggling in sets two and three but never felt out of it, ratting off five points to open the fourth set.
George Mason took the first two points of set five but SU would claim six straight to take commanding lead and never looked back.
MERI FOR THE WIN?#TogetherWeSoar #FlyAsOne pic.twitter.com/z18clMw0P8
— Seattle U Volleyball?? (@seattleuvb) September 16, 2023
In the three set wins by the Redhawks, they combined for a hitting percentage of .264 with 32 overall kills.
Arianna Bilby posted her sixth double-double of the young campaign with 10 kills and 10 digs, while Merima Smajlovic (eight kills, 15 digs) finished just two kills shy of a double-double of her own.
Marley Hardgrave set new career-highs in kills (10) and points (13.5) to go along with five total blocks (two solo, three assists).
Naima Foster (eight kills, three digs) accounted for 9.5 points, while Yasemin Elmas (six kills, four total blocks) notched 8.5 points.
Elif Teksoy continued her strong performances at setter, assisting on 32 points to go along with seven digs, two total blocks and one service ace.
Katlyn Sipes (12 digs) continues to play very well at libero, registering double digit digs in all but one contest this season.
MARLEY HARDGRAVEEEESSSS
— Seattle U Volleyball?? (@seattleuvb) September 16, 2023
SU 24 (1)
GMU 20 (2) pic.twitter.com/7HRaJIZOyK
GAME TWO
SCORING SUMMARY
Set 1: 16-25
Set 2: 25-21
Set 3: 27-25
Set 4: 25-23
MATCH NOTES
The Redhawks tied their best total block (11) and overall digs (64) performance and set a season-high in block assists (20).
Bilby snatches her seventh double-double of the year, recording 18 kills, 12 digs and scoring 19.5 points.
Foster (11 kills) finishes in double figure kills for the ninth time this season, while Hardgrave has another strong performance with eight kills and five block assists. Bilby and Hardgrave both hit over .300 in this contest with the former hitting .300 and the latter hitting .353.
Teksoy grabs her second double-double of the year with 40 assists and 10 digs to go along with five block assists and one kill.
Smajlovic logged 13 digs to go along with three block assists, while Sipes finished with 11 kills and Erin Goya grabbed her first double figures match of the year.
Elmas finished one block shy of tying her career-high of six total blocks.
COACH COLE'S THOUGHTS
"We decided we were going to execute no matter what the situation was," said Head Coach Michelle Cole. "I could tell we were tired but they were determined and just played really gritty volleyball. At times where we thought we might be out of it, we hung on and battled back. Our front row gave us some huge blocks and Arianna came up big in some important spots. After a tough loss to Middle Tennessee yesterday, we decided we were just going to give more than anyone else and we didn't care what that was going to look like. I am so proud of this group and the way they responded today."
UP NEXT
Seattle U begins Western Athletic Conference (WAC) play this upcoming week, opening with Abilene Christian on Thursday at 4 p.m. pacific time in Abilene, Texas.
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.