PULLMAN, Wash. - Seattle University volleyball (6-18, 1-13 WCC) kept close to Washington State (16-8, 10-4 WCC) in the rematch at Bohler Gym, but the effort fell short after three sets (21-25, 19-25, 15-25) on Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore Madyn Cervellera led the team with nine kills, while combining for four digs and 2.0 blocks on the defensive end. Junior Teagan Melton added an additional eight kills, hitting .700 on ten attempts with one error. She picked up 2.0 blocks to match Cervellera.
Redshirt junior Yasemin Elmas tallied five kills on eight attempts with one error, hitting .500. The middle blocker paced the Redhawks from the service line, picking up two aces. Elmas picked up her 14th solo block of the season, ending the day with 2.0 total.
Guiding the Redhawk defense with her block was senior Marley Hardgrave. She totaled 3.0 on the afternoon. Protecting the floor was redshirt junior Elif Teksoy, who grabbed six digs. Freshman Katelynn Albano tallied five digs to aid Teksoy while handing out two assists. Teksoy led all Redhawks with 24 assists. She also went for two aces and two kills, hitting .500 on four attempts.
Together the Redhawks tallied 31 kills, 29 assists, five aces, 23 digs and 5.0 blocks.
Seattle U came out hot, hitting .379 in the first set, picking up 13 kills with assists on 12 of them. They went for four aces in the first set. After trailing 5-2 through the opener, kills from Cervellera, freshman Petra Fritz and Elmas pulled the Redhawks back within one. The Cougars pushed back to go ahead by four 12-8 before the Redhawks went on a 3-0 run sparked by a kill from Cervellera and capped by back-to-back aces from Teksoy.
Kills from Melton and Fritz leveled the match 13-all, but Wazzu spun the set on its head, leading 23-16 behind a 5-0 run. Cervellera cut it off in its tracks with a kill which would swing the momentum in favor of SU behind a 5-0 run. Elmas claimed her two aces while Cervellera completed the surge with two kills. Washington State disrupted the changing Redhawk tide and claimed the set 25-21.
The second set began with a tug-of-war, trading early leads and one point advantages until the Redhawks drove up 7-5 with four straight scores. The Redhawks led by as many as five after an ace from sophomore Grace Jones and a block and kill from Elmas. Seattle U maintained its lead until the middle of the set when the Cougars pulled a 180 to take the lead 19-15. Cervellera kept the set alive with a kill 23-19 to pull within back late, but the Cougars claimed the 2-0 set lead 25-19 in the second.
Washington State jumped out to an early third set lead 7-0 before Cervellera cut off the surge with a kill, but the Cougars continued to push the Redhawks on both sides of the ball. Trailing by as many as ten in the opening set, the Redhawks pulled back within six with kills from Elmas and a block from Hardgrave alongside Cervellera. Facing a late 22-15 deficit, the Redhawks fell in three after three scores from the Cougars in the final set.
Seattle U returns to action for its final two home matches of the year, hosting both Gonzaga and Oregon State at the Redhawk Center next week. The Redhawks wrap up their home stand on Saturday against the Beavers, celebrating their three seniors for Senior Day.
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.