ARLINGTON, Texas - For the first time since 2019 the Seattle U volleyball team extends its season to the WAC Tournament, earning the No. 7 seed after collecting six wins in conference for the first time since 2017. The Redhawks face No. 2 seed Grand Canyon at the College Park Center in Arlington at 11 a.m. PT with live streaming available through ESPN+.
The Redhawks are led by All-WAC Second Team senior Arianna Bilby, who came off back-to-back double-doubles in digs and kills in Seattle U's 2-0 weekend at home last week. She ended the regular season with 305 kills and 234 digs, while ranking fifth on the team with 41.0 blocks.
Aiding her is the WAC's final Libero of the Week of 2024, senior Katlyn Sipes, who leads the team with 372 digs on the season. Her 4.00 digs per set ranked her third in the conference this year. Sipes earned two of the conference's weekly awards this year for the Redhawks, the most by a member in one season since 2015. At the end of October, she became the fifth Redhawk in program history to surpass 1,000 career digs, tallying 1,070 through the end of the regular season.
Three Redhawk setters have been the masterminds behind the offense, with redshirt sophomore Elif Teksoy leading the pack with 424 assists. Her 6.14 assists per set ranks seventh in the WAC this year. The dynamic freshmen duo of Anae Asuncion and Grace Jones have been instrumental in the final matches of the season. The pair have combined for 413 assists.
Junior Marley Hardgrave ranks eighth in the league with 1.01 blocks per set. She paces the team with 79.0, a new season best. Hardgrave also holds the seventh best hitting percentage in the WAC, registering a .272 clip for 88 kills on 239 attacks and 85 errors.
Fellow junior Merima Smajlovic paces the team with 36 aces, which ranks fifth in the WAC. She also ranks second on the team in digs (251), blocks (72.0) and kills (236).
After locking up the seven seed by defeating Tarleton State 3-1, the Redhawks are slated to face Grand Canyon for the third time this season. Seattle U got a set off the Lopes at home, but fell on the road 3-0 to GCU. The loss tied the all-time series 12-all and extended the Lopes' match winning streak over the Redhawks to nine. Seattle U is in pursuit of its first win over the Lopes since 2018 as the pair prepare to duel on a neutral court for the first time.
Laying in wait for the winner of Thursday's match is the winner of No. 3 seed Utah Valley and No. 6 seed Southern Utah in the tournament's semifinal. Coming out of the other side of the bracket are the winners of No. 1 seed UT Arlington, No. 8 seed Abilene Christian, No. 4 seed Utah Tech and No. 5 seed California Baptist. The championship is set for Saturday, November 23.
All matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
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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.
The Redhawks are led by All-WAC Second Team senior Arianna Bilby, who came off back-to-back double-doubles in digs and kills in Seattle U's 2-0 weekend at home last week. She ended the regular season with 305 kills and 234 digs, while ranking fifth on the team with 41.0 blocks.
Aiding her is the WAC's final Libero of the Week of 2024, senior Katlyn Sipes, who leads the team with 372 digs on the season. Her 4.00 digs per set ranked her third in the conference this year. Sipes earned two of the conference's weekly awards this year for the Redhawks, the most by a member in one season since 2015. At the end of October, she became the fifth Redhawk in program history to surpass 1,000 career digs, tallying 1,070 through the end of the regular season.
Three Redhawk setters have been the masterminds behind the offense, with redshirt sophomore Elif Teksoy leading the pack with 424 assists. Her 6.14 assists per set ranks seventh in the WAC this year. The dynamic freshmen duo of Anae Asuncion and Grace Jones have been instrumental in the final matches of the season. The pair have combined for 413 assists.
Junior Marley Hardgrave ranks eighth in the league with 1.01 blocks per set. She paces the team with 79.0, a new season best. Hardgrave also holds the seventh best hitting percentage in the WAC, registering a .272 clip for 88 kills on 239 attacks and 85 errors.
Fellow junior Merima Smajlovic paces the team with 36 aces, which ranks fifth in the WAC. She also ranks second on the team in digs (251), blocks (72.0) and kills (236).
After locking up the seven seed by defeating Tarleton State 3-1, the Redhawks are slated to face Grand Canyon for the third time this season. Seattle U got a set off the Lopes at home, but fell on the road 3-0 to GCU. The loss tied the all-time series 12-all and extended the Lopes' match winning streak over the Redhawks to nine. Seattle U is in pursuit of its first win over the Lopes since 2018 as the pair prepare to duel on a neutral court for the first time.
Laying in wait for the winner of Thursday's match is the winner of No. 3 seed Utah Valley and No. 6 seed Southern Utah in the tournament's semifinal. Coming out of the other side of the bracket are the winners of No. 1 seed UT Arlington, No. 8 seed Abilene Christian, No. 4 seed Utah Tech and No. 5 seed California Baptist. The championship is set for Saturday, November 23.
All matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
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.