SEATTLE - Tightly contested bookend sets did not fall Seattle University volleyball’s (4-15, 1-8 WCC) way as the visiting Pepperdine Waves (17-4, 9-1 WCC) slid past the Redhawks 3-0 (20-25, 11-25, 23-25) inside the Redhawk Center on Thursday evening.
Senior Teagan Melton led the Redhawks hitting .389 on 18 attempts combining for eight kills with one error. The opposite also guided the Redhawks’ block, posting 3.0 total on the evening to pace the match. Junior Hailey McEllrath grabbed a match high 3.0 blocks alongside Melton, while hitting .625 on eight attempts, recording five kills with no errors.
Sophomore Chloee Leslie and freshman Vai Unga combined for 11 kills, each recording three digs while Unga posted a block. Fellow freshman Linnaea Moore secured 2.0 blocks on the night. Freshman Janae Demant aided the Redhawk defense, picking up eight digs.
Guiding the Redhawk offense was junior Grace Jones, who led the team with 16 assists. Jones also paced the team from the service line, picking up two aces. Freshman Elaina Duong matched Jones at the line, logging two aces.
The Redhawks combined for 29 kills, 25 assists, four aces, 26 digs and 5.0 blocks, pacing the Waves in blocks by one.
Pepperdine opened the match with a 4-2 advantage, getting its offense rolling early with three kills. The Redhawks speared their own 3-0 run led off with a kill from Melton to grab the lead from the Waves 5-4 following kills from freshman Orinayo Olukanmi and Leslie. The Waves leveled the set three more times before pushing ahead by four, forcing a SU timeout. Following the break, the Redhawks turned to Duong at the service line, as the freshman tied the set 12-all with two aces. Both programs exchanged three more ties before the Redhawks faced a two point deficit following a Waves kill and ace. After trailing 23-18, the Redhawks bounced back with a kill from Melton and Wave error, but could not extend the match further, falling 25-20 in set one.
The Redhawks kept pace with the Waves in the early second set, tying Pepperdine twice before the Waves built a four point lead from the service line, 9-5. A block from McEllrath and Unga and a kill from Melton kept Seattle U within four but the Waves would spin and deliver two separate substantial runs to take set two 25-11.
After Pepperdine went ahead early, 9-7, the Redhawks came back with a 3-0 run led by Olukanmi and Moore to level the set 9-9. A back and forth ensued shortly after, as the two programs exchanged four ties before the Waves took the narrow edge 15-13 into the media timeout. Following the break the Waves crafted a 4-3 run to lead the Redhawks 19-16, forcing the SU timeout. The Redhawks bounced back to tie the set late behind kills from Moore and McEllrath, leading both teams to regroup. A late kill from McElrath pulled the Redhawks within one, 22-21, before Melton and McEllrath teamed up with a block before Melton delivered the set tying kill, 23-23, to force a Wave timeout. After the break, the Waves clinched the match with a pair of kills 25-23.
The Redhawks return to action on Saturday, October 31 at 1 PM when they host LMU for Volleyween.
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