CEDAR CITY, Utah - Seattle U volleyball (6-12, 1-6 WAC) completed an eight point come from behind victory in the fifth set against Southern Utah on Thursday evening. The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) contest took place at America First Event Center on the campus of Southern Utah in Cedar City, Utah.
SCORING SUMMARY
Set 1: 25-22
Set 2: 17-25
Set 3: 26-24
Set 4: 18-25
Set 5: 15-13
MATCH NOTES
Seattle U used a five point run early on in set one to help them lead the entire opening set.
Set three came down to the wire, with kills from Arianna Bilby and Sydney Wilkes sealing the set point.
After dropping the first eight set points, Seattle U rattled off five in a row and then took the final four points to claim the victory.
The Redhawks logged a season-high 14 total blocks, marking seven more than the Thunderbirds.
Arianna Bilby posted a game-high 16 kills to go along with her 13 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. The Arlington, Wash., native also added three total blocks and hit at a .311 percentage.
Sydney Wilkes set a new career-high in kills with 13, while Naima Foster (12 kills, nine digs) finished just one dig shy of a double-double and added three total blocks.
Elif Teksoy had a stellar all-around performance, assisting on 42 total points, tying her career-high with five total blocks and adding eight digs.
Both Marley Hardgrave and Erin Goya set game-highs in total blocks and digs. Hardgrave finished two short of a season-high with six total blocks, while Goya recorded 19 digs in her first start at libero this season.
COACH COLE'S THOUGHTS
"We told our team that they were going to get to write the narrative tonight and they went out and did just that," said Head Coach Michelle Cole. "We used a brand new lineup in this one and everyone really had to adjust to something different. What we have been instilling in them since day one and what they found out tonight is that when they all work and play together with 100% effort then things will go your way. Being down 8-0 in the fifth set is one of the scariest things a coach could ever deal with and the fact that this team won just one challenge and decided they could win really inspired us. Arianna had an excellent night, playing so smart with early tips and rolls as well as cranking balls late in the match. She really led this team and pushed us over the hump. Sydney Wilkes really came though for us and gritted out, becoming that missing piece to our offense we have been looking for. Erin Goya played so smart, calm and steady throughout in her first start of the year at libero and kept this team in positive spirits the whole time. I am incredibly proud of our team and looking forward to getting back out there on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Seattle U wraps up a three match Utah road trip on Saturday, facing off with Utah Tech in St. George at 12 p.m. pacific time.
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.
SCORING SUMMARY
Set 1: 25-22
Set 2: 17-25
Set 3: 26-24
Set 4: 18-25
Set 5: 15-13
MATCH NOTES
Seattle U used a five point run early on in set one to help them lead the entire opening set.
Set three came down to the wire, with kills from Arianna Bilby and Sydney Wilkes sealing the set point.
After dropping the first eight set points, Seattle U rattled off five in a row and then took the final four points to claim the victory.
SEATTLE U COMPLETES THE FIFTH SET COMEBACK? pic.twitter.com/RN8iQUMkft
— Seattle U Volleyball?? (@seattleuvb) October 13, 2023
The Redhawks logged a season-high 14 total blocks, marking seven more than the Thunderbirds.
Arianna Bilby posted a game-high 16 kills to go along with her 13 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. The Arlington, Wash., native also added three total blocks and hit at a .311 percentage.
Ari seals the first set for the Redhawks! pic.twitter.com/bZmrWLFbLh
— Seattle U Volleyball?? (@seattleuvb) October 13, 2023
Sydney Wilkes set a new career-high in kills with 13, while Naima Foster (12 kills, nine digs) finished just one dig shy of a double-double and added three total blocks.
Elif Teksoy had a stellar all-around performance, assisting on 42 total points, tying her career-high with five total blocks and adding eight digs.
Both Marley Hardgrave and Erin Goya set game-highs in total blocks and digs. Hardgrave finished two short of a season-high with six total blocks, while Goya recorded 19 digs in her first start at libero this season.
COACH COLE'S THOUGHTS
"We told our team that they were going to get to write the narrative tonight and they went out and did just that," said Head Coach Michelle Cole. "We used a brand new lineup in this one and everyone really had to adjust to something different. What we have been instilling in them since day one and what they found out tonight is that when they all work and play together with 100% effort then things will go your way. Being down 8-0 in the fifth set is one of the scariest things a coach could ever deal with and the fact that this team won just one challenge and decided they could win really inspired us. Arianna had an excellent night, playing so smart with early tips and rolls as well as cranking balls late in the match. She really led this team and pushed us over the hump. Sydney Wilkes really came though for us and gritted out, becoming that missing piece to our offense we have been looking for. Erin Goya played so smart, calm and steady throughout in her first start of the year at libero and kept this team in positive spirits the whole time. I am incredibly proud of our team and looking forward to getting back out there on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Seattle U wraps up a three match Utah road trip on Saturday, facing off with Utah Tech in St. George at 12 p.m. pacific time.
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.