ARLINGTON, Texas - No. 7 seed Seattle U volleyball's push to upend No. 2 seed Grand Canyon in the WAC Tournament quarterfinals was thwarted 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-19) by the Lopes at College Park Center on Thursday afternoon.
All-WAC Second Team senior Arianna Bilby paced both teams with 14 kills on the day, finishing one dig shy of her eleventh double-double of the season. She registered nine digs to go along with an ace, hitting .231 on 39 attacks with five errors.
Junior Merima Smajlovic added another seven of the 33 kills seen on the day, while posting nine digs and an ace. Freshmen Anae Asuncion and Grace Jones went for a combined 29 assists, with Asuncion paving the way with 16. Jones led all Redhawks with two aces.
Reigning WAC Libero of the Week, senior Katlyn Sipes, led both teams with 21 digs, her sixth 20+ dig match this season. She also added three assists.
Redshirt sophomore Yasemin Elmas and sophomore Tatum Chase led the Redhawks with two blocks apiece, while adding six kills between the two. Sophomore Taniyah Pruitt and junior Marley Hardgrave shared near identical stat lines, hitting .333 on nine attacks for three kills and no errors while picking up a block.
The match opened in a back-and-forth before the Redhawks claimed the three point lead 8-5. They would go on to lead by as many as four after a block by Pruitt and Hardgrave put Seattle U up 15-11 in set one. After tying the match 16-16, Grand Canyon went on a 6-2 run to lead the Redhawks by four. Two kills and a block from Tatum and Elmas pulled the Redhawks within one, but the Lopes closed out the first set on a 3-0 run.
Seattle U hit .235 on 34 attacks for 13 kills and five errors, but even benefiting off of five GCU service errors could not quell the Lopes grabbing 17 kills hitting .378 on 37 attacks with three errors.
Neither team could build a substantial rhythm in the second set, trading points off errors. The Lopes led by as many as five before a 6-1 run at the end of the set put the Redhawks down 2-0 in the match. Combined, the teams posted seven attack errors and eight service errors.
The final set saw another early back-and-forth until the Lopes went up by four midway through the set. The Redhawks pulled within one before GCU reclaimed the four point buffer 17-13. When Seattle U pulled close once more, to trail 21-19, the Lopes ended the set on a 4-0 run, icing the match with back-to-back aces.
The Redhawks hit a match high .333 on 36 attacks for 14 kills and two errors in the third set, but the Lopes responded hitting .528 on 36 attacks for 19 kills and no errors. As a unit, the Redhawks locked up 33 kills, five aces, three blocks, 32 assists and 48 digs on the day.
Seattle U ended the season 2-1 in its final three appearances, securing its first conference tournament berth in five years. The Redhawks exit its final WAC tournament in the quarterfinals and head into the offseason preparing for its homecoming season in the WCC.
The Redhawks finished the year 8-19 overall and 6-10 in WAC conference play, earning two conference weekly honors and one recognition to the all-conference second team. They secured their most conference wins in over five years, while collecting eight wins in back-to-back seasons.
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All-WAC Second Team senior Arianna Bilby paced both teams with 14 kills on the day, finishing one dig shy of her eleventh double-double of the season. She registered nine digs to go along with an ace, hitting .231 on 39 attacks with five errors.
Junior Merima Smajlovic added another seven of the 33 kills seen on the day, while posting nine digs and an ace. Freshmen Anae Asuncion and Grace Jones went for a combined 29 assists, with Asuncion paving the way with 16. Jones led all Redhawks with two aces.
Reigning WAC Libero of the Week, senior Katlyn Sipes, led both teams with 21 digs, her sixth 20+ dig match this season. She also added three assists.
Redshirt sophomore Yasemin Elmas and sophomore Tatum Chase led the Redhawks with two blocks apiece, while adding six kills between the two. Sophomore Taniyah Pruitt and junior Marley Hardgrave shared near identical stat lines, hitting .333 on nine attacks for three kills and no errors while picking up a block.
The match opened in a back-and-forth before the Redhawks claimed the three point lead 8-5. They would go on to lead by as many as four after a block by Pruitt and Hardgrave put Seattle U up 15-11 in set one. After tying the match 16-16, Grand Canyon went on a 6-2 run to lead the Redhawks by four. Two kills and a block from Tatum and Elmas pulled the Redhawks within one, but the Lopes closed out the first set on a 3-0 run.
Seattle U hit .235 on 34 attacks for 13 kills and five errors, but even benefiting off of five GCU service errors could not quell the Lopes grabbing 17 kills hitting .378 on 37 attacks with three errors.
Neither team could build a substantial rhythm in the second set, trading points off errors. The Lopes led by as many as five before a 6-1 run at the end of the set put the Redhawks down 2-0 in the match. Combined, the teams posted seven attack errors and eight service errors.
The final set saw another early back-and-forth until the Lopes went up by four midway through the set. The Redhawks pulled within one before GCU reclaimed the four point buffer 17-13. When Seattle U pulled close once more, to trail 21-19, the Lopes ended the set on a 4-0 run, icing the match with back-to-back aces.
The Redhawks hit a match high .333 on 36 attacks for 14 kills and two errors in the third set, but the Lopes responded hitting .528 on 36 attacks for 19 kills and no errors. As a unit, the Redhawks locked up 33 kills, five aces, three blocks, 32 assists and 48 digs on the day.
Seattle U ended the season 2-1 in its final three appearances, securing its first conference tournament berth in five years. The Redhawks exit its final WAC tournament in the quarterfinals and head into the offseason preparing for its homecoming season in the WCC.
The Redhawks finished the year 8-19 overall and 6-10 in WAC conference play, earning two conference weekly honors and one recognition to the all-conference second team. They secured their most conference wins in over five years, while collecting eight wins in back-to-back seasons.
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.