SEATTLE - Two home matches remain for Seattle University volleyball in 2025, as the Redhawks (7-18, 1-13 WCC) welcome Gonzaga (13-12, 6-8 WCC) to the Redhawk Center for Faculty-Staff Appreciation night on Thursday, November 20 at 6 PM.
Sophomore Madyn Cervellera leads the team with 335 kills this season, averaging 3.38 kills per set across 99 sets of action. The outside hitter is also a crucial piece to the Redhawk defense, ranking 14th in the WCC in digs with 226 on the year. After leading the Redhawks with nine kills against Washington State, Cervellera moved into eighth all-time in the Division I era for kills in a single season.
Three additional Redhawks have surpassed 100+ kills on the season to aid Cervellera on the offensive end. Junior Teagan Melton leads the trio with 182 kills through 99 sets, while redshirt junior Yasemin Elmas (141) and freshman Petra Fritz (131) round out the group.
Guiding the Redhawks from the service line is Fritz, who paces the team with 44 aces on the year. The mark ranks tied-third for all-time aces in a single season in the DI era. Her .51 aces per set leads both the team and the conference while ranking 17th in the country.
Elmas is a pillar to the defense, pacing the team with 81.0 blocks this season, a new career collegiate best for the middle blocker. Her 14 solo blocks matches junior Taniyah Pruitt, the pair both tying sixth all-time for solo blocks in a single season since 2008.
Patrolling the floor is freshman Katelynn Albano who leads the team in digs with 248, averaging 2.53 per set. The defensive specialist is also productive from the service line, posting 29 aces on the year while averaging .30 per set through 98 sets of action.
Orchestrating the offense is redshirt junior Elif Teksoy. The setter ranks 12th in the conference with 383 assists through 59 sets of action, averaging 6.49 assists per set. Her 55 assist performance in the victory against San Francisco ranks second all-time in the DI era for assists in a four set match.
As a unit, the Redhawks rank fifth in the league in blocks with 198 this season. Their combined 56 solo blocks ranks second in the Division I era for solo blocks in a single season, sitting six shy of the all-time DI record. SU also ranks fifth in the league for aces with 159 tallied on the year. The mark ties last year’s fifth place program record for aces in a single season with four matches remaining.
Seattle U meets Gonzaga for the second time this season and the 12th time in program history. One of SU’s oldest opponents, the Zags lead the all-time series 8-3 after capturing the five set victory in Spokane last month. Since the DI era began in 2008, SU is 3-5 against Gonzaga. Since the pair last met in October, the Bulldogs have gone 4-5, holding a 2-2 record on the road. The Redhawks are one of three road matches left for Gonzaga this season.
Following Thursday’s contest, the Redhawks look to celebrate their three seniors - Marley Hardgrave, Teksoy and Elmas - for their Senior Day match against Oregon State on Saturday, November 22 at 1 PM.
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