CHENEY, Wash. - Seattle University volleyball concluded its trip out east taking on Montana for its final non-conference contest. Looking to return to the win column, the effort fell short as the Griz (8-3) secured the victory over the Redhawks (6-4) in three sets (21-25, 12-25, 20-25) at Reese Court on Friday afternoon.
Sophomore Madyn Cervellera led both squads with ten kills, maintaining her double digit kills streak. The Lake Stevens native has produced eight straight performances with double-digit kills, including two 20+ kill contests in her first season in Seattle. She also added four digs on the day.
Freshman Petra Fritz tallied seven kills, the third highest between the two teams, while securing a new season high 12 digs. She also finished the day with an ace. Sophomore Anae Asuncion led the team with eight assists, while also grabbing five digs and an ace.
On the defensive side, junior Taniyah Pruitt led all blockers with 3.0 total blocks, including one solo block. Senior Marley Hardgrave matched Pruitt with 3.0 blocks off three assists.
Together, the Redhawks combined for 27 kills, 22 assists, four aces, 38 digs and 4.0 blocks, outpacing the Griz in blocks by one. Both teams benefited from opponent errors, but the difference ended in favor of the Griz.
Quick runs from both sides defined the early set, leading to four ties to open the match. Montana rattled off a 6-1 run to build its first lead 12-9 before Fritz tallied her ace and a kill to pull the Redhawks back within a point. Through the middle of the set, the Redhawks kept close to Montana leveling the set 19-all behind a 3-0 run. Another six point surge from the Griz would thwart SU’s push as Montana claimed set one 25-21.
Despite near identical offensive production in the first, Montana wrapped up the 2-0 set lead in the second, benefiting from an abundance of Seattle U errors. The Redhawks cleaned up in the third, hoping to force a fourth set.
After an ace from Asuncion and a kill from redshirt junior Yasemin Elmas, the Redhawks took on the 9-6 lead in the third set. Montana responded with one of its own, resulting in a trade off of five ties before the Griz pushed their lead to two. Down 15-13 into the timeout, the Redhawks came back within a point before a 4-1 run by Montana built their lead back up to four. A kill from Cervellera and a block from Pruitt and Hardgrave drew the Redhawks back in 19-18, but a six run by Montana wrapped up the set and the Redhawks fell in three.
Seattle U returns to action next week with a trip down to Southern California to make its West Coast Conference debut. The Redhawks will be greeted by new conference foes LMU and Pepperdine. Seattle U makes its return home to the Redhawk Center on October 2, welcoming Washington State for its first WCC home match. Tickets are available for purchase at goseattleu.com/tix.
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