SEATTLE - Backed behind dominant second and third sets, Seattle U volleyball captured its first win at home in a 3-0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-18) sweep of the visiting Southern Utah Thunderbirds at the Redhawk Center on Thursday night.
Two Redhawks grabbed double-doubles in a showcase of offensive flare. Senior Arianna Bilby racked up 18 kills and 15 digs to lead both teams, while hitting a career best .455 on 33 attacks with only three errors. Junior Merima Smajlovic picked up the other, grabbing 10 kills and 11 digs on the night.
Smajlovic paced the team with three aces, one of three Redhawks with multi-service ace efforts. Freshman Ivy Brown celebrated her birthday in style, tallying three aces, while fellow freshman Grace Jones grabbed two. The Redhawks nearly tied a season high aces in a match, recording 10 on the evening.
Jones recorded a new career high 18 assists to lead the Redhawks. Redshirt sophomore Elif Teksoy added 14 to move her season total to 360 assists.
The defense flexed as much might as the offense, as the Redhawks racked up nine total blocks to Southern Utah's seven. Junior Marley Hardgrave led the way with five while sophomore Taniyah Pruitt grabbed three including the lone solo block on the night for Seattle U.
Senior Katlyn Sipes recorded 12 digs to extend her double-digit dig streak to ten matches. Bilby and Smajlovic rounded the trio of Redhawks with ten or more digs on the night.
Seattle U paced the Thunderbirds across the board, picking up 28 kills, 10 aces, nine blocks, 36 assists and 55 digs to their 37 kills, five aces, seven blocks, 36 assists and 46 digs. The two were nearly even through the first set, hitting a similar clip at .128 for Seattle U and .143 for Southern Utah. The Redhawks clinched the opening set victory 26-24.
In a 180 pivot, the Redhawks swung with a .371 hitting percentage in the second set, grabbing 16 kills. Southern Utah tried to keep pace, hitting .243 on 37 attacks and 12 kills, but supported behind three aces, the Redhawks moved to 2-0 in the match with a 25-20 victory.
A swift final set secured the home win for Seattle U as the Redhawks hit .296 for 11 kills. Southern Utah fell to frequent mistakes, tallying 17 errors on the evening. Leading by as many as seven in the final set, the Redhawks put the match away from back-to-back kills with Bilby sealing the win 25-18.
Seattle U returns to the Redhawk Center on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. as the Redhawks host Abilene Christian in a rematch from two weeks ago.
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Fans interested in making a gift to Seattle University Athletics can do so by clicking here. Your gift directly impacts all Redhawk student athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in the community. Thank you for supporting Seattle University Athletics!
Follow Along With the Action
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.
Two Redhawks grabbed double-doubles in a showcase of offensive flare. Senior Arianna Bilby racked up 18 kills and 15 digs to lead both teams, while hitting a career best .455 on 33 attacks with only three errors. Junior Merima Smajlovic picked up the other, grabbing 10 kills and 11 digs on the night.
Smajlovic paced the team with three aces, one of three Redhawks with multi-service ace efforts. Freshman Ivy Brown celebrated her birthday in style, tallying three aces, while fellow freshman Grace Jones grabbed two. The Redhawks nearly tied a season high aces in a match, recording 10 on the evening.
Jones recorded a new career high 18 assists to lead the Redhawks. Redshirt sophomore Elif Teksoy added 14 to move her season total to 360 assists.
The defense flexed as much might as the offense, as the Redhawks racked up nine total blocks to Southern Utah's seven. Junior Marley Hardgrave led the way with five while sophomore Taniyah Pruitt grabbed three including the lone solo block on the night for Seattle U.
Taniyah with the block????#TogetherWeSoar pic.twitter.com/iSZRU0yDEb
— Seattle U Volleyball?? (@seattleuvb) October 18, 2024
Senior Katlyn Sipes recorded 12 digs to extend her double-digit dig streak to ten matches. Bilby and Smajlovic rounded the trio of Redhawks with ten or more digs on the night.
Seattle U paced the Thunderbirds across the board, picking up 28 kills, 10 aces, nine blocks, 36 assists and 55 digs to their 37 kills, five aces, seven blocks, 36 assists and 46 digs. The two were nearly even through the first set, hitting a similar clip at .128 for Seattle U and .143 for Southern Utah. The Redhawks clinched the opening set victory 26-24.
In a 180 pivot, the Redhawks swung with a .371 hitting percentage in the second set, grabbing 16 kills. Southern Utah tried to keep pace, hitting .243 on 37 attacks and 12 kills, but supported behind three aces, the Redhawks moved to 2-0 in the match with a 25-20 victory.
A swift final set secured the home win for Seattle U as the Redhawks hit .296 for 11 kills. Southern Utah fell to frequent mistakes, tallying 17 errors on the evening. Leading by as many as seven in the final set, the Redhawks put the match away from back-to-back kills with Bilby sealing the win 25-18.
Seattle U returns to the Redhawk Center on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. as the Redhawks host Abilene Christian in a rematch from two weeks ago.
Donate Today
Fans interested in making a gift to Seattle University Athletics can do so by clicking here. Your gift directly impacts all Redhawk student athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in the community. Thank you for supporting Seattle University Athletics!
Follow Along With the Action
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.