SEATTLE - Competitive across all three sets, Seattle University volleyball (3-8, 0-1 WCC) battled I-5 rival Portland (8-2, 1-0 WCC) on its Alumni Day but fell 3-0 (20-25, 17-25, 21-25) to the Pilots inside the Redhawk Center on Saturday afternoon.
A pair of Redhawks logged double-digit kills performances in the contest, with sophomore Chloee Leslie leading the charge with 12 kills while senior Adee Butler logged 11 kills. The pair combined for 2.0 blocks and seven digs on the defensive end.
Senior Teagan Melton paced the team with a .533 hitting percentage, logging nine kills on 15 attempts with one error. Melton was one of four Redhawks with an ace in the contest, recording her first career ace. She ended the day with four digs.
Junior Grace Jones guided the offense with a match leading 28 assists. She also tallied an ace while picking up a block and three digs on the defensive end.
Pacing the defense was sophomore Lexi Jones who recorded 3.0 blocks, including her eighth solo block of the season. Jones finished the day with three kills on six attempts with one error.
Patrolling the floor was freshman Janae Demant, who secured 10 digs. She recorded one ace and handed out two assists. Seattle U’s ace leader, junior Hailey McEllrath, rounded out the quartet of Redhawks with an ace.
Seattle U combined for 41 kills, 37 assists, four aces, 30 digs and 5.0 blocks, pacing the Pilots in blocks by two and assists by four. Both teams logged 41 kills.
Portland jumped out ahead 5-1 at the start of the contest before a 4-0 burst with Melton leading from the service line gave the Redhawks their first advantage 7-6. The Pilots came back to secure a 11-8 lead before Grace Jones’ ace pulled the Redhawks within one. A 4-1 Seattle U run with kills from Butler, Lexi Jones and Melton helped the Redhawks nab the narrow 15-14 set advantage at the media break. Following the break the two teams wrestled for leads, exchanging four ties before the Pilots closed on a 8-3 run to take set one 25-20.
A tug of war defined the early second set, as Portland and Seattle U shared six ties until the Pilots burst ahead 13-9 with a 4-0 run. The Redhawks pulled within two following a timeout but the Pilots continued to ramp up, going ahead 20-13 with three straight aces. Portland took the two set advantage, closing on a 5-4 run.
Another tightly contested set started in the third with narrow one point leads and ties until a 4-1 run by Seattle U pushed the Redhawks ahead 13-10. The Pilots spun the set with a 5-1 run to take the narrow lead 15-14 at the media timeout. Seattle U kept close, staying within two with kills from Butler, freshman Orinayo Olukanmi and Leslie, but the game would be won from the service line as Portland took the final set 25-21.
Seattle U remains home for its next two matches, hosting both San Francisco and Santa Clara at the Redhawk Center on October 1 and 3 respectively.
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