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Redhawks Hold Senior Day Against Tarleton State

SEATTLE – Securing its WAC Tournament berth after a sweep Thursday night, the Seattle U volleyball team plays one final home match this season at the Redhawk Center. The Redhawks celebrate their four seniors on Senior Day against Tarleton State at 1 p.m. on November 14.

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Redhawks Hold Senior Day Against Tarleton StateRedhawks Hold Senior Day Against Tarleton State
SEATTLE – Securing its WAC Tournament berth after a sweep Thursday night, the Seattle U volleyball team plays one final home match this season at the Redhawk Center. The Redhawks celebrate their four seniors on Senior Day against Tarleton State at 1 p.m. on November 14.
 
FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS QUICK HITS
  • The Redhawks locked in their first berth to the WAC Tournament since 2019 after defeating Utah Tech in a 3-0 sweep. It was Seattle U's first win over the Trailblazers since the series opened in 2021. 
  • Seattle U emerged with a 3-2 victory over California Baptist last Thursday night, locking up its first win over the Lancers since 2019. The win was the second ever for the program and snapped CBU's 16 set win streak over the Redhawks.
  • Arianna Bilby recorded her ninth double-double of the season against Utah Tech, recording 13 digs to go along with 12 digs. She now holds 291 kills on the season and ranks seventh in the WAC with 3.20 kills per set.
  • Katlyn Sipes became the fifth Redhawk in Seattle U's current D-I era to reach 1,000 digs, reaching the feat on Oct. 31 against Utah Tech. She holds 1,056 career digs heading into the weekend after collecting 19 digs against Utah Tech.
  • Sipes leads the team with 358 digs and ranks fourth in the WAC in digs per set (3.94). 
  • Elif Teksoy became just the sixth Redhawk in the program's modern Division I era to surpass 1,000 career assists when she passed the marker on Sept. 21 in a 3-0 win over Air Force. The redshirt sophomore enters the weekend with 1,287 career assists.
  • Teksoy leads the team with 424 assists on the season and ranks seventh in the WAC with 6.14 assists per set. 
  • Freshmen setters Anae Asuncion and Grace Jones continue to orchestrate the Redhawk offense, combining for 29 assists against the Lopes. They followed up with a combined 32 assists against Utah Tech.
  • Merima Smajlovic ranks fourth in the WAC and paces the team with 36 service aces (0.41 per set). She sits second on the team in kills, racking up 221 after leading the team with 16 kills against CBU and 10 kills against GCU. She also grabbed a double-double in digs and kills against the Lancers, adding along 11 digs. She paced the team with three aces.
  • Marley Hardgrave ranks ninth in the WAC with .99 blocks per set. She leads the team with 74.0 blocks and grabbed her fourth solo block of the year against the Lancers. 
  • Yasemin Elmas ranks second on the team with 69.0 total blocks on the season and picked up her 100th kill of the year against Utah Valley. 
  • The Redhawks won their season opener, 3-2, over CSUN to give new Head Coach Dan Behnke his first win at the helm of the program.
  • Merima Smajlovic was named to the Idaho State All-Tournament Team. The junior outside hitter averaged 2.92 kills and 3.0 digs per set while also tallying seven aces and five blocks over the three matches.
  • Marley Hardgrave earned all-tournament honors at the Roadrunner Classic after collecting 13 total blocks over two matches. The junior middle blocker also hit an efficient .320.
  • Katlyn Sipes was crowned WAC Libero of the Week on Oct. 9 to secure Seattle U's first conference weekly honor since 2019. The win was a first for the senior and for the team since the league implemented the distinction in 2023. Sipes became one of now 11 Redhawks to be recognized since Seattle U joined the WAC in 2012.
  • The Redhawks tied a program record number of aces in a match (in their current D-I era) against Abilene Christian, connecting 14 aces.
  • Seattle U closed out non-conference play with a 2-8 record. The Redhawks' wins came over CSUN and Air Force.
  • The 2024 Redhawk squad features nine returning players and seven new faces.
ABOUT THE SERIES VS TARLETON STATE
  • Seattle U trails the all-time series 1-5 after recording its first program win over the Texans earlier this year.
  • The two first met in 2021 in Seattle as the Redhawks hosted back-to-back matches against Tarleton. The series opener went to five sets, with the Texans locking up the win 3-2.
  • Prior to the 3-1 victory in Stephensville this year, the two went to five sets in 2023, but the Redhawks fell at home 3-2.
SEATTLE U RECORD BOOK RANKINGS
A number of Redhawks are among the program's Division I era leaderboard in numerous career statistical categories: BILBY NAMES PRESEASON ALL-WAC
Senior outside hitter Arianna Bilby was named to the nine-member Preseason All-Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Team as voted on by the league's nine head coaches. An Arlington, Wash., native, Bilby is entering her senior season with the Redhawks. She is coming off of a standout junior season where she finished second in the WAC and 32nd in the nation in attacks per set (11.01) and third in the WAC in kills per set (3.56). She led the Redhawks in points and kills while recording 11 double-doubles and earning a trio of All-Tournament Team selections.

UP NEXT
Seattle U prepares for its return to the WAC Tournament, which will be hosted by UT Arlington at the College Park Center in Arlington from Thursday, November 21 through Saturday, November 23.

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