COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Seattle U volleyball clinched back-to-back sweeps to meet host Air Force in the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic final on Sunday morning at Cadet East Gym, but the bid for the tournament final victory came up short for the Redhawks (2-1) as they fell 3-0 (25-12, 25-17, 25-11) to the Falcons (3-0).
Redshirt sophomore Teagan Melton led the Redhawk offense capturing six kills on 12 attacks for a .417 hitting percentage. Sophomore Madyn Cervellera added an additional seven kills on the afternoon. Redshirt junior Yasemin Elmas and junior Taniyah Pruitt combined for eight kills.
Sophomore Grace Jones led all Redhawks with 11 assists and one ace, while contributing three digs. Cervellera paced the team with seven digs, while freshman libero Katelynn Albano tallied five digs.
Leading the Redhawk defense was Pruitt, who recorded her third straight match with one solo block. She paced the Redhawks with 3.0 blocks on the afternoon, while senior Marley Hardgrave followed behind with 2.0 blocks.
Together, the Redhawks combined for 22 kills, 21 assists, 27 digs and three blocks.
An ignited Falcon offense proved difficult to contain, as Air Force amassed a .446 hitting percentage across three sets of action. The Falcons were firing across all stages, leading Seattle U in kills, blocks and digs. Both teams took advantage of errors, with the Falcons accruing nine service errors to SU’s one, but a determined Air Force offense countered the Redhawks bid for a tournament victory.
A slow start for the Redhawks led to a quick 4-0 lead in the first set by the Falcons before Melton got SU on the board with a kill. Pruitt shook the team out of a five point deficit, contributing a kill and block with Hardgrave. Air Force countered with a flurry of offense to grab a 19-9 lead before back-to-back errors pulled Seattle U back within eight, but a 6-1 run by the Falcons would cement the opening set 25-12.
Seattle U flipped the script in the second set, matching Air Force point for point through the start. Kills from Melton, Pruitt and Cervellera kept the Redhawks in it before Jones evened set two 7-7 with an ace. A small run by the Falcons forced a timeout, allowing the Redhawks to build a run of their own. The solo block by Pruitt tied the set 12-12 before the Falcons secured back the lead 16-12. Cervellera went on a 3-0 run of her own with three straight kills to pull back the set, but a 7-1 run by the Falcons locked down set two for Air Force 25-17.
The third set was defined by a series of runs by the Falcons, built by nine of their first ten points coming from kills. Seattle U fought back to pull within four with kills from Elmas and Butler, but a series of miscues accompanied by a Falcon offense that couldn’t miss the mark led to the Redhawk’s defeat in three sets. Air Force secured the win over Seattle U with a 25-11 set three win.
The Redhawks return to action next weekend and are set to host Manhattan, Idaho, and CSU Fullerton at the Seattle U Invitational at the Redhawk Center from September 4-6.
Tickets for all sessions are available for purchase at goseattleu.com/tix.
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