ABILENE, Texas - A 2-1 Seattle University volleyball set lead was wrestled away by Abilene Christian as the Redhawks fell 3-2 (24-26, 25-21, 25-22, 19-25, 12-15) on Saturday morning at Moody Coliseum.
Senior Arianna Bilby posted her third 20+ kill performance in a row, as she paced the Redhawks (3-11, 1-3 WAC) with 20 kills on the day. She grabbed her sixth double-double of the season, adding 13 digs in the effort. Bilby hit a team leading .326 (with 15 or greater attacks) with her 20 kills on 46 attacks and five errors.
The offensive orchestrator, redshirt sophomore Elif Teksoy, paced both teams with 41 assists, nearly reaching her season high of 44 from the start of the season. It's her second 40+ assist effort so far this year.
Sophomore Tatum Chase tallied a season high 6.0 blocks on the day while adding five kills. Junior Marley Hardgrave added 4.0 blocks and seven kills, while hitting .313 on 16 attacks and two errors.
Senior Katlyn Sipes led the Redhawks with 15 digs, bringing her season total to 213.
Putting in the work all over the floor was junior Merima Smajlovic. She grabbed her fifth double-double of the season, cataloging 15 kills and 14 digs on the day while pacing the team with two aces.
Playing meaningful minutes was sophomore Taniyah Pruitt. She came in for two sets, nabbing two kills on three attacks and no errors, while registering a solo block. She had 3.0 blocks on the day.
Seattle U opened the match in a back-and-forth first set with the Wildcats that led to ACU grabbing the set 26-24. The Redhawks bounced back in the second, leaping out to a 7-1 lead at the start. Seattle would outhit Abilene Christian .241 to .075, grabbing 11 kills on 29 attacks and four errors in the second set while the Wildcats stumbled with 11 errors. Bilby locked in the 25-21 set win with a kill.
The momentum carried into the third set as the Redhawks hit similarly with a .206 hitting percentage registering 12 kills on 34 attacks and five errors. ACU hit .135 with 14 kills and nine errors on 37 attacks. Seattle was able to erase a three point deficit with two Wildcat errors and a kill and ace from Smajlovic at the start of the set.
After ACU reclaimed the lead 18-17 in the third, Seattle rattled off a 5-0 scoring run capped by two Wildcat errors and a block from Pruitt. Bilby once again put the set away 25-22 with a kill.
Abilene Christian took a page from Seattle's book, storming out to a 6-1 lead in the fourth. The early deficit proved difficult to overcome for the Redhawks as the Wildcats put the set away 25-19.
A similar story unfolded in the final set as ACU leaped out to a 4-0 start. Bilby got Seattle on the board with a kill. Pruitt brought the Redhawks within a point with a kill midway through, before Bilby tied the set 9-9. A 6-3 run from ACU ended the match as the Redhawks fell in set five 15-12.
The Redhawks remain on the road next week, traveling back to Texas for a Thursday, Oct. 12 meeting with UT Arlington.
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Senior Arianna Bilby posted her third 20+ kill performance in a row, as she paced the Redhawks (3-11, 1-3 WAC) with 20 kills on the day. She grabbed her sixth double-double of the season, adding 13 digs in the effort. Bilby hit a team leading .326 (with 15 or greater attacks) with her 20 kills on 46 attacks and five errors.
The offensive orchestrator, redshirt sophomore Elif Teksoy, paced both teams with 41 assists, nearly reaching her season high of 44 from the start of the season. It's her second 40+ assist effort so far this year.
Sophomore Tatum Chase tallied a season high 6.0 blocks on the day while adding five kills. Junior Marley Hardgrave added 4.0 blocks and seven kills, while hitting .313 on 16 attacks and two errors.
Senior Katlyn Sipes led the Redhawks with 15 digs, bringing her season total to 213.
Putting in the work all over the floor was junior Merima Smajlovic. She grabbed her fifth double-double of the season, cataloging 15 kills and 14 digs on the day while pacing the team with two aces.
Playing meaningful minutes was sophomore Taniyah Pruitt. She came in for two sets, nabbing two kills on three attacks and no errors, while registering a solo block. She had 3.0 blocks on the day.
Seattle U opened the match in a back-and-forth first set with the Wildcats that led to ACU grabbing the set 26-24. The Redhawks bounced back in the second, leaping out to a 7-1 lead at the start. Seattle would outhit Abilene Christian .241 to .075, grabbing 11 kills on 29 attacks and four errors in the second set while the Wildcats stumbled with 11 errors. Bilby locked in the 25-21 set win with a kill.
The momentum carried into the third set as the Redhawks hit similarly with a .206 hitting percentage registering 12 kills on 34 attacks and five errors. ACU hit .135 with 14 kills and nine errors on 37 attacks. Seattle was able to erase a three point deficit with two Wildcat errors and a kill and ace from Smajlovic at the start of the set.
After ACU reclaimed the lead 18-17 in the third, Seattle rattled off a 5-0 scoring run capped by two Wildcat errors and a block from Pruitt. Bilby once again put the set away 25-22 with a kill.
Special delivery??
— Seattle U Volleyball?? (@seattleuvb) October 5, 2024
Arianna drops off a kill to take the third set for the Redhawks 25-22??#TogetherWeSoar pic.twitter.com/MOvc0U3Jk0
Abilene Christian took a page from Seattle's book, storming out to a 6-1 lead in the fourth. The early deficit proved difficult to overcome for the Redhawks as the Wildcats put the set away 25-19.
A similar story unfolded in the final set as ACU leaped out to a 4-0 start. Bilby got Seattle on the board with a kill. Pruitt brought the Redhawks within a point with a kill midway through, before Bilby tied the set 9-9. A 6-3 run from ACU ended the match as the Redhawks fell in set five 15-12.
The Redhawks remain on the road next week, traveling back to Texas for a Thursday, Oct. 12 meeting with UT Arlington.
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.