SEATTLE - Seattle University volleyball (4-14, 1-7 WCC) prepares for a big West Coast Conference test, welcoming one of the league’s frontrunners in Pepperdine (16-4, 8-1 WCC) to the Redhawk Center on Thursday evening.
Senior Teagan Melton, fresh off a career high 19 kills in the narrow loss to Portland, leads the team with 154 kills through 17 matches. The opposite ranks 20th in the WCC in total kills, while sitting 18th with a team leading 2.61 kills per set. Sophomore Chloee Leslie aids the offensive effort with 140 kills on the season.
Guiding the offense is junior Grace Jones, who leads the team and ranks 11th in the WCC in assists with 310, while also ranking 11th in the league with 4.92 assists per set. Fellow setter, sophomore Bella Jones, sits amongst the conference’s top-15 with 185 assists, while ranking 13th in assists per set with 4.02.
Pacing the Redhawks from the service line is junior Hailey McEllrath, who leads the team with 19 aces. The middle blocker sits tied-19th in the conference in aces. On the defensive side, McEllrath ranks 18th in the WCC in blocks with 48.0.
Sophomore Lexi Jones leads the team at the net, combining for 65.0 total kills in 55 sets of action. Jones sits seventh in the league in total blocks, while her 1.18 blocks per set ranks third. The middle blocker has logged 11 solo blocks this season, ranking sixth in the WCC. Leslie also ranks top-10 in the WCC in solo blocks, posting nine on the year.
Patrolling the floor is freshman Janae Demant, who sits 11th in the WCC in digs with 209. Her 3.32 digs per set paces the team and ranks 7th in the conference this season.
The Redhawks are one of the top blocking teams in the WCC, combining for 145.0 blocks this year. Their 44 solo blocks sit second in the conference. Seattle U also ranks in the upper half of the conference in aces per set, averaging 1.44 aces on average.
Thursday’s meeting will be the fourth ever contest with Pepperdine dating back to 2009. The pair met for the first time as conference opponents, reigniting the series in 2025. The Waves lead the all-time record 3-0 and hold the 1-0 edge over the Redhawks in Seattle.
Following Thursday’s contest, the Redhawks remain home through the weekend, hosting LMU for their Halloween match on Saturday at 1 PM. Both contests will be streamed on ESPN+.
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