EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The Seattle University volleyball team (6-2) fought its way back into the win column behind a five set victory (25-20, 17-25, 25-11, 21-25, 17-15) over Austin Peay (1-7) in its first ever meeting with the Governors at First Community Arena on Friday afternoon.
The Redhawks match their 2019 squad for their best start, posting six wins through eight contests.
Sophomore Madyn Cervellera paved the way for the Redhawk offense, recording 12 kills. She tallied her fourth double-double in digs and kills in a row, adding 16 digs to her stat line against the Governors. Cervellera also matched her career high two aces while picking up 2.0 blocks.
Also registering double digit kills with Cervellera was redshirt sophomore Teagan Melton, who posted 11 kills on the afternoon. She matched her career high in blocks on the defensive end, tallying 5.0 total.
Sophomore Grace Jones recorded a double-double of her own, grabbing 16 assists and 15 digs. She led all Redhawks with three aces, a new career best for the setter, and matched her career high in kills with two. Fellow sophomore setter Anae Asuncion led both squads with 21 assists.
Redshirt junior Yasemin Elmas proved effective on both ends for the Redhawks, tallying eight kills on 15 attempts for a .400 hitting percentage. She led the team with 6.0 blocks, while adding five digs, a new career high for the middle blocker, and an ace.
Junior Adee Butler came in off the bench trailing both Melton and Cervellera in kills, finishing just shy of a double-double in digs and kills with nine digs and nine kills. She was one of three Redhawks with two aces on the day, matching Cervellera and freshman Katelynn Albano.
Together, the Redhawks combined for 58 kills, 48 assists, 11 aces, 66 digs and 11.0 blocks, limiting Austin Peay to a .186 hitting percentage.
Seattle U got off to an early set lead to open the afternoon before the Govs rallied back to even the set 8-8. The Redhawks responded with a 7-1 run heading into the media timeout. A kill from Cervellera pushed the Redhawks lead to seven, 21-14, before Austin Peay called timeout. The Govs surged with a 5-0 to pull the match within two before a block from Elmas and Melton and a kill from freshman Petra Fritz secured set one for the Redhawks 25-20.
The Governors flipped the script in set two, taking a lead over the Redhawks early. Fritz delivered another kill to cut the lead to two before Austin Peay strung together a 4-0 run. An additional run later in the set saw Austin Peay with a 22-13 lead before an error gave the Govs set point. A block from Elmas and Butler along with an ace from Jones extended the set but the Govs clinched the second set victory 25-17.
Seattle U responded with its strongest showing of the match, combining for 15 kills hitting .464 in set three. A 7-0 run through the early set saw the Redhawks lead 12-5 before Austin Peay forced a side out. The Govs pulled back within four before senior Marley Hardgrave delivered a kill to set the Redhawks on another 7-0 run. A block by Elmas put the Redhawks up 20-9 before the Govs ended Jones’ time at the service line.
Melton scored three of the last five points, all kills to grab set three for the Redhawks 25-11.
A back and forth fourth set saw multiple ties and lead changes all the way late into the set. The Redhawks fought to keep up with the Govs, matching them point for point until the set was tied 20-all. Austin Peay surged with a 5-1 run to force a fourth set.
The Redhawks leapt out to an early lead in the final set before Austin Peay evened it at 5-all. Hardgrave would record two kills while Albano posted back-to-back aces to help draw up a 6-1 run by SU to take the lead 11-7. Out of the Austin Peay timeout, the Govs swung back to claim the lead 12-11 to force the SU timeout. The pair traded ties and match points with a kill from Elmas avoiding the end of the match. Tied 15-15, Cervellera and Elmas forced match point before Cervellera delivered the final point of the match to secure the 3-2 victory for the Redhawks.
Seattle U returns to action tomorrow to take on host SIUE at the final day of the SIUE Cougar Classic. The match is set for 11:30 AM PT and will be live streamed on ESPN+.
Following the weekend the Redhawks prepare for their final non-conference tournament with a trip out to Eastern Washington before embarking on their first West Coast Conference road trip of the season.
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