SPOKANE, Wash. - Seattle University volleyball (3-7) exited the final day of the Zags Volleyball Classic dropping a 3-0 (18-25, 22-25, 19-25) match to North Dakota State (8-2) inside the Charlotte Y. Martin Centre on Saturday afternoon.
Freshman Vai Unga paced the team with a new season high nine kills, while contributing an assist and two digs. Junior Hailey McEllrath and sophomore Chloee Leslie combined for eight kills while Leslie logged SU’s lone ace of the contest.
McEllrath guided the Redhawk defense with 6.0 blocks while fellow junior Grace Jones matched senior Teagan Melton with 5.0 blocks. Sophomore Lexi Jones rounded out the stout Redhawk block with 4.0 blocks on the afternoon.
Grace Jones led the Redhawk offense with 25 assists, a new season high for the junior setter. She also picked up three digs and a kill in the effort. Aiding the defense were freshmen Janae Demant, who led the team with 12 digs, and Elaina Duong, who contributed nine digs.
The Redhawks combined for 26 kills, 26 assists, 39 digs and 11.0 blocks. They out paced NDSU in blocks by one.
After trailing 4-0 the contest early, Seattle U battled back to maintain at least a point of North Dakota State with its block and NDSU errors. Lexi Jones spearheaded the Redhawks’ first lead of the set with a block and kill as SU pushed ahead 10-9 following a 3-0 run. North Dakota State came back with a run of its own to pace the Redhawks 15-11 at the media break. McEllrath led the late push by the Redhawks to keep the set alive 22-17 but NDSU closed on a 3-1 advantage to take set one 25-18.
Unga guided the Redhawks early in the second set, securing three kills to get the Redhawks ahead 6-5. After trailing by as many as five midway through the set, Seattle U strung together a 4-0 run late to force a North Dakota State timeout, 24-22, following three NDSU errors and an Unga kill. The Bison locked up the second set, 25-22, with a kill.
Melton and Leslie aided the Redhawks 3-2 lead at the start of the third set with a block and ace respectively before NDSU wrestled away the lead 11-7. SU pulled back within three after a 5-2 run in the middle of the set before the Bison surpassed 20 points with their block. A flurry of NDSU errors, a kill from freshman Orinayo Olukanmi and a block from McEllrath and Grace Jones kept the Redhawks alive late, but the Bison would take the contest behind a 25-19 third set victory over the Redhawks.
Seattle U looks ahead to West Coast Conference action slated to begin on September 26 inside the Redhawk Center against Portland.
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