SEATTLE - All three Seattle University volleyball (5-19, 2-12 WCC) seniors, Adee Butler, Teagan Melton and Taniyah Pruitt, saw action for the final time at the Redhawk Center in Seattle U’s battle against Saint Mary’s (16-11, 11-4 WCC) on Saturday afternoon, but the Redhawks could not extend the match falling 3-0 (22-25, 15-25, 18-25).
Melton, Pruitt and Butler all earned the start together, with Butler taking the first serve and making her first appearance since her injury in early October. The senior outside hitter led off the match and her teammates did the rest, blocking down the Gaels attack for the first point of the day. Butler remained in for the next rally before subbing out of the contest. Melton paced the team with seven kills, hitting .357 on 14 attempts with two errors. The right side hitter grabbed two digs and 1.0 block to complete the day. Pruitt paced the team in blocks, leading the way with 3.0, including one solo block.
Junior Hailey McEllrath added six kills hitting .333 on 12 attempts with two errors. The middle blocker ended the day with 2.0 blocks. Guiding the offense was junior Grace Jones who posted 15 assists, while fellow setter, sophomore Bella Jones, handed out 14 assists. Bella was one of three Redhawks with an ace and ended the day with five digs.
Aiding the Redhawk block alongside Pruitt was freshman Orinayo Olukanmi, who posted 3.0 total blocks. Olukanmi matched McEllrath, freshman Vai Unga and sophomore Chloee Leslie with six kills. She hit .417 on 12 attempts with one error.
Leading the Redhawk defense was freshman Janae Demant, who grabbed eight digs.
The Redhawks combined for 32 kills, 31 assists, three aces, 26 digs and 6.0 blocks, pacing the Gaels in blocks by one.
A tightly fought first set opened with three ties before the Gaels went ahead by two 8-6. The Redhawks responded with a 5-1 run with McEllrath earning three kills in that span. Saint Mary’s and Seattle U would level the set five more times near the media break before a block by Unga gave the Redhawks the 17-15 advantage. Kills by McEllrath and Unga maintained the two point advantage but the Gaels would tie the set late 19-19. Seniors Melton and Pruitt teamed up for a kill and block respectively to reclaim the lead 21-19 to force a Saint Mary’s timeout. Following the break the Gaels spun the set, crafting a 6-1 run to claim set one 25-22.
After facing an early deficit to the Gaels in set two, the Redhawks led a 3-0 run to pace Saint Mary’s 7-6. The Gaels and Redhawks would exchange two ties before the Gaels went ahead 14-9 in the middle of the set. Another burst by the Gaels built their lead to eight before a pair of Saint Mary’s errors brought the Redhawks within six. The Gaels would close on a 5-1 run to claim set two 23-15.
Seattle U came back with an early lead in set three with kills from Unga and Olukanmi before a back and forth ensued to the middle of the set. The Redhawks crafted a 3-0 run to lead 13-10 with three straight kills from McEllrath and Unga. Following a Saint Mary’s timeout, the Gaels would tie the set at 15-all before extending their run to lead 19-16. Olukanmi would claim the kill to pull the Redhawks within two, 20-18, but Saint Mary’s would end on a 5-0 run to claim the match in three sets following a 25-18 third set victory.
The Redhawks head out on the road for their final four matches, traveling to Denver and San Diego next week before closing out the season at LMU and Pepperdine.
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