SEATTLE - Seattle University volleyball battled back from a 2-0 set deficit to force a fourth set from the West Coast Conference’s front runner San Diego, but the highly competitive final set fell in favor of the Toreros (15-4, 8-0 WCC) as the Redhawks (6-12, 0-7 WCC) fell 3-1 at the Redhawk Center on Saturday afternoon.
Junior Teagan Melton led the Redhawks with 11 kills on the day while redshirt junior Yasemin Elmas combined for a .353 hitting percentage, accruing eight kills on 17 attempts. Sophomore Madyn Cervellera posted seven kills to round out SU’s kill leaders.
Redshirt junior Elif Teksoy guided the offense with 28 assists, a new season high. The setter also led SU from the service line, recording a season high three aces. She was one of five Redhawks with at least one ace.
Cervellera and freshman Katelynn Albano protected the floor with a combined 23 digs. The freshman libero posted 11 digs to go along with five assists and an ace.
Elmas led the blocking effort with 3.0 blocks on the afternoon, while fellow Turkey native Teksoy went for 2.0 blocks, a season high.
As a unit, the Redhawks combined 35 kills, 34 assists, seven aces, 40 digs and 5.0 blocks.
Seattle U opened the afternoon in a back-and-forth with the visiting Toreros before a 5-0 run capped by back-to-back aces from Teksoy secured a 9-5 early set lead. The Redhawks maintained their lead, matching San Diego point for point until they trailed by two into the media timeout. The Toreros maintained their momentum out of the break, pushing their lead to six, ultimately capturing the first set 25-17.
A series of runs by the Toreros defined the second set, as they quickly shifted SU away from its early lead. A flurry of scoring from San Diego out of the break locked up the second set 25-10 in favor of the Toreros.
Facing a 2-0 set deficit, the Redhawks dug in deep, matching the Toreros at every turn through the early third set. Back-to-back kills from Melton and Cervellera pushed the Redhawks ahead of USD 15-14 into the media timeout before an ace from Teksoy secured a two point lead. Three more kills from Melton maintained the Redhawk lead 20-19, but the Toreros would fight back to even the set 21-all. In response, Cervellera spearheaded a 4-0 run by the Redhawks with two kills to force a fourth set after a 25-21 set victory for Seattle U.
Fueled by the victory, the Redhawks struck first, with scores from Elmas who aided the early 4-2 lead behind a kill and solo block. San Diego kept pace and traded five ties with SU before a 4-0 run put the Toreros in the driver seat. After trailing by six, the Redhawks rallied to pull within two behind a 4-0 run led by Melton, junior Adee Butler and Elmas, but the Toreros curbed the late surge by the Redhawks to claim the match win behind a 25-20 victory in the fourth set.
The Redhawks return to action next week, splitting their time at home and on the road. They travel to Saint Mary’s for a Thursday night clash in Moraga, before returning home to host Santa Clara on Saturday, October 25.
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