SANTA CLARA, Calif. - After taking the second set, Seattle University volleyball (4-17, 1-10) battled in the rematch with Santa Clara (10-14, 6-6 WCC), but could not extend the match further, falling to the Broncos 3-1 (21-25, 25-23, 23-25, 20-25) inside the Leavey Center on Thursday evening.
Sophomore Chloee Leslie led the team with her first double-double, combining for 12 kills and 11 digs. Senior Teagan Melton also grabbed double-digit kills, posting 11 in the match. Freshman Vai Unga followed suit hitting .320 by adding nine kills on 25 attempts with one error.
Junior Hailey McEllrath extended her no error streak to five straight matches, tacking on three kills on seven attempts. McEllrath was one of three Redhawks with an ace in the contest, matching freshman Elaina Duong and junior Grace Jones with one ace.
Jones orchestrated the offense with 17 assists while picking up six digs on the defensive end. Fellow setter, sophomore Bella Jones, contributed 14 assists and three digs.
McEllrath was the crux of the Redhawk block, pacing the match with 7.0 total blocks to match her season high. Freshman Linnaea Moore joined the block party with 5.0 total blocks, while Melton and freshman Orinayo Olukanmi each grabbed 4.0 total blocks.
Aiding the defense was freshman Janae Demant, who recorded 10 digs.
The Redhawks combined for 44 kills, 42 assists, three aces, 51 digs and 11.0 blocks, pacing the Broncos in blocks by six.
Seattle U opened the contest in a back and forth with the Broncos, neither side willing to give up runs as the pair wrestled with one point leads until Santa Clara clawed ahead 8-5. The Redhawks spun the match behind a 6-0 run with Duong leading from the service line. Leslie strung together two kills while Duong grabbed her ace to put Seattle U ahead 11-8. Santa Clara came back to level the set 13-13 before taking the narrow lead 15-14 into the media break. The Broncos maintained their lead, but the Redhawks stuck within a point until a late SCU run put the Redhawks down five. Kills from Leslie and Melton along with a block from Melton and Moore kept Seattle U within three but the Broncos would take the first set 25-21.
Leslie kept up the pace into the second set, logging two kills to aid the Redhawks’ early set lead. Pacing the Broncos 6-3, Santa Clara would overtake the lead behind a 7-0 run before a kill from Olukanmi cut off the Bronco surge. The Broncos would jump out ahead by six before Melton strung together a run with a pair of kills and a block. The effort helped turn a 5-0 Seattle U run to reclaim the lead 17-16 before a tug of war ensued. The two teams exchanged three ties late into the set before a kill from Melton forced set point and sent McEllrath to the line. McEllrath delivered her ace to secure the Redhawks the second set 25-23.
Both Santa Clara and Seattle U wrestled for runs entering the beginning of the third set, neither team leading by greater than a point. The Broncos took control into the media timeout, pacing the Redhawks by four, 15-11. The Redhawks crafted a 6-1 run behind a pair of blocks from Olukanmi and McEllrath to help level the set 17-all. Following a Santa Clara timeout, the Broncos went up by three before another burst, led behind kills from Melton put the Redhawks ahead late 22-21. Santa Clara closed on a 4-1 run to take the third set 25-23.
The Redhawks trailed early in the fourth set, facing a 15-7 deficit before battling back late to pull within four. A pair of Bronco errors pulled the Redhawks within three, 21-18, and forced the Santa Clara timeout, but the Broncos would close on a 4-2 run to claim the match behind a 25-20 fourth set victory.
Seattle U remains in the Bay Area through the weekend, traveling to San Francisco on Saturday for its second meeting with the Dons this season.
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