SEATTLE - Seattle University volleyball (2-1) travels down I-5 to Oregon State’s ASICS Invitational where the Redhawks square off with Montana, California Baptist and host Oregon State inside Gill Coliseum from September 3-5.
The Redhawks grabbed two wins through opening weekend, defeating Chicago State and North Dakota at the Steve Nimocks Redhawk Invitational. Senior Teagan Melton earned all-tournament honors at the conclusion of the weekend after a pair of double-digit kill performances.
Melton leads the team with 32 kills through three matches, averaging 2.67 kills per set. Fellow senior Adee Butler wrapped the weekend with 27 kills, averaging 2.25 per set. Sophomores Lexi Jones and Chloee Leslie combined for 46 kills, while Jones leads the program with a .364 hitting percentage for 23 kills on 44 attempts.
Jones paces the program with 10.0 blocks on the season, ranking tied-10th in the WCC after the first weekend of action. The middle blocker ranks just inside the top-20 in the conference in blocks per set (0.83).
Guiding the offense is sophomore setter Bella Jones, who concluded the Steve Nimocks Redhawk Invitational with 58 assists and four aces. Junior Grace Jones finished the weekend with 39 assists and three aces after ranking second on the team in assists in 2025.
Leading from the service line so far this year is junior Hailey McEllrath, who logged six aces, averaging .50 aces per set. McEllrath logged 12 kills and eight blocks in her first outings as a Redhawk.
Patrolling the floor is freshman Janae Demant, who tallied a team leading 29 digs in three matches. The libero averaged 2.42 digs in her collegiate debut, while newcomer Leslie added 25 digs in her first weekend as a Redhawk, averaging 2.08 digs per set.
Seattle U combined for 21 aces, a mark that puts them fourth in the WCC through the first week of play. The Redhawks averaged 1.75 aces per set, a mark that ranks third in the WCC.
SU opens the weekend against Montana, meeting the Grizzlies for the second straight season. The Redhawks claimed the first three matches in the series and hold the narrow series lead 3-2 in the all-time records. Montana claimed last year’s match in three sets.
Former WAC opponent California Baptist claims the second match of the weekend. After one season apart, the two meet again but for the first time on a neutral floor. The Lancers lead the all-time series 8-2 though the Redhawks claimed the final conference meeting between the two in 2024 in five sets.
After a dramatic senior day victory at the Redhawk Center last year, Oregon State and Seattle U meet once more for their first meeting in Corvallis since 2018. Last season’s win for the Redhawks was the first ever in program history, snapping an eight game losing streak to the Beavers that dated back to 2008. The pair met once as WCC opponents in 2025, as Oregon State completed its tentative membership before fully returning to the new Pac-12 this summer.
Following the weekend, the Redhawks return home for a match against another former WAC opponent, Southern Utah. The pair meet on Friday, September 11 at 6 PM before the Redhawks head back out on the road to former WCC foe Gonzaga.
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