SEATTLE - Seattle university volleyball (6-15, 0-10 WCC) jets off to California to take on Pacific (7-15, 1-10 WCC) at 6:00 PM on Thursday night at the Alex G. Spanos Center in hot pursuit of its first road and conference victory of the season.
Sophomore Madyn Cervellera leads the Redhawks with 293 kills on the season, averaging 3.41 per set. She tallied 19 against the Gaels last weekend, one shy of posting three straight matches with 20+ kills. The Lake Stevens native ranks fifth in the WCC in kills on the season, sitting 29 kills away from tying 10th all-time for kills in a single season in her first season in Seattle.
Junior Teagan Melton and redshirt junior Yasemin Elmas have each eclipsed 100+ kills on the year. Melton leads the duo with 158 kills through 86 sets of action, while Elmas has posted 127 through 21 matches.
Elmas paces the defensive effort up front, accounting for 73.0 blocks so far this season, one shy of matching her career season high. The mark ranks the middle blocker ninth in the league this season.
Guarding the floor is freshman Katelynn Albano with her team leading 238 digs this year. She ranks 10th amongst the WCC, while Cervellera sits inside the top-15 with 196 digs through 86 sets of action.
Orchestrating the offense is a trio of setters led by redshirt junior Elif Teksoy. Her 5.54 assists per set ranks 12th in the conference on the year. She has amassed 255 assists through 46 sets. Sophomores Grace Jones and Anae Asuncion have also recorded 200+ assists this season, with Jones leading the two with 240 in 69 sets. Asuncion has appeared for 58 sets and tallied 225 assists in 19 matches.
Leading from the service line is freshman Petra Fritz. Her .49 aces per set ranks second in the conference and 24th in the country. The outside hitter has recorded 37 aces on the year in 75 sets of action. The mark ranks tied-55th in the nation. Fellow freshman, Albano, also ranks amongst the top of the conference in aces, averaging .31 per set collecting 27 so far this season.
As a unit, the Redhawks rank one ace shy of tied-4th with 135 total this year. Their combined 173 blocks ranks fourth in the conference along with their 50 solo blocks. They rank fifth in the WCC in block assists with 246. SU’s 50 solo blocks is now third all-time by a Redhawk team in a single season since 2008. The mark sits one shy of tying second all-time in a single season in the Division I era.
Seattle U and Pacific have met three times since the series began in 2011. The Tigers lead the Redhawks 3-0, capturing nine sets to SU’s one. The pair last met in 2023 on a neutral floor. Thursday’s match will be the first in Stockton between the two since 2011.
Following the match, the Redhawks return to Seattle to host their Alumni Day game against San Francisco at 1:00 PM as part of Homecoming weekend.
SU volleyball alum are encouraged to attend with a recognition set during the match. The team will host a reception following immediately after, meeting at the Advancement and Alumni Building on campus from 3:00-6:00PM.
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.