CORVALLIS, Ore. - Senior Teagan Melton grabbed her third double-digit kill match of the season for Seattle University volleyball (2-2) in the 3-0 (18-25, 23-25, 20-25) loss to Montana on day one of the ASICS Invitational hosted by Oregon State.
Melton hit a match leading .750, accruing her 12 kills on 16 attempts with no errors. The senior right side hitter added 3.0 total blocks and three digs on the defensive end. Fellow senior Adee Butler also went for double-digit kills, registering 11 in the match on 24 attempts. She tallied four digs while picking up a solo block.
Sophomore Lexi Jones hit .364 on the afternoon, recording five kills on 11 attempts with one error. She paced the team with 5.0 total blocks for a new season high as a Redhawk. Sophomore Chloee Leslie matched Jones with five kills, while recording three digs and 2.0 blocks.
Orchestrating the offense was junior setter Grace Jones, who finished the day one dig shy of a double-double. Jones paced the team with 16 assists, while logging nine digs. Freshman Mikayla Liljenquist posted 14 assists for a new season high, while logging an ace and seven digs.
Patrolling the floor was freshman Janae Demant who recorded a new season best 13 digs.
The Redhawks combined for 36 kills, 32 assists, two aces, 49 digs and nine blocks, outpacing the Grizzlies in blocks nine to seven.
Seattle U opened with an early set lead before Montana leveled the set 3-all. The pair exchanged five more ties until the Grizzlies took a 15-12 advantage into the media timeout. Following the break, Montana continued to push, stringing together a 6-1 run that forced a Seattle U timeout after the Redhawks trailed 18-13. The Redhawks rallied behind a 3-1 run put together by an ace from freshman Elaina Duong and a pair of kills from Melton but the Grizzlies would take the first set 25-18.
Montana claimed the early second set lead until Melton picked up another kill to make it 4-2 in favor of the Grizzlies. After sending Liljenquist to the line the Redhawks enjoyed a 5-0 run with kills from junior Hailey McEllrath and freshman Orinayo Olukanmi. Liljenquist recorded her ace in the flurry of scoring as the Redhawks claimed the 7-4 lead.
The Grizzlies responded with a burst of their own leveling the set 7-all. The two teams once again entered a back and forth, tying the set 12 times. After tying again at 21-21, Melton and Leslie teamed up for two points with a kill and block respectively to force the Montana timeout. The Grizzlies exited the break on a 4-0 run to claim the second set 25-23.
Seattle U faced an early deficit in the third set trailing 10-1 before Butler went on her own 3-0 run with three straight kills. The Redhawks pulled within seven four times before the Grizzlies broke through to 20 points, leading the Redhawks 20-12. Melton and Lexi Jones made it a six point match with a kill and block to help shift the momentum to the Redhawks late in the set. Seattle U closed on a 5-3 run with a pair of kills and a block from Butler but could not extend the match, falling 25-20 in the third set.
The Redhawks return to action at Gill Coliseum on Friday, September 4 when they take on California Baptist. Live stats are available for tomorrow's match.
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