The Seattle University volleyball team finished the 2012 season with a 3-0 loss (25-14, 27-25, 25-19) to the University of Denver Thursday night at Hamilton Gymnasium.
Denver (17-12, 10-8 WAC) scored the first four points of the match and jumped out to a 7-1 lead thanks in part to three kills by Colleen King. The Pioneers maintained that advantage before scoring the final five points of the first set, with King and Alex Turgeon earning two kills apiece before Kate Oakes closed out the set with a kill.
Back-to-back kills by Michelle Swope allowed Denver to open the second set with three unanswered points, but Seattle U responded with kills from Sarah Jaeckel (Littleton, Colo.) and Kaytlyn Dill (Bothell, Wash.) to pull into a 3-3 tie. Three kills and a block assist by Oakes allowed the Pioneers to go on a 7-2 scoring run to open a 13-8 advantage. Down 23-18, the Redhawks went on a 6-1 scoring run to extend the second set, but Denver would use kills by King and Turgeon to take a 2-0 match lead at intermission.
In the third set, Denver again took the early lead, going on a 6-1 scoring run, helped by a kill and a block assist from Oakes, to take an 8-3 advantage. King and Brea Muhle combined for consecutive blocks to extend the Pioneer lead to 17-11, but Seattle U fought back, scoring five unanswered points, punctuated by consecutive service aces from Lani Beadle (Seattle, Wash.), to pull to within two at 20-18. Denver won five of the final six points, concluding with a block by King and Faimie Kingsley, to finish off the sweep.
In her final collegiate match, Dill finished with nine kills, four digs, and three block assists, while fellow senior Karina Miastkowska (Northbrook, Ill.) had seven kills and Jaeckel contributed eight kills and seven digs. Setter Jacquie Brice (Fullerton, Calif.) notched a double-double with 26 assists and 10 digs, and Beadle added eight digs along with two assists and two service aces.
Denver hit .402 as a team as no Pioneer player made more than two attack errors the entire night. Swope collected 11 kills, a .476 hitting percentage, and seven digs, while King and Kingsley earned eight kills and five total blocks apiece. Frances Carroll accumulated 24 assists and eight digs, Bailey Karst contributed 15 assists, and Lyndi Johnson led all players with 12 defensive digs.
The Redhawks were officially eliminated from contention for a spot in the WAC Tournament when UT Arlington completed a sweep of Louisiana Tech to clinch the eighth and final berth. Seattle University closes out the 2012 season with a 9-19 overall record, including a 4-14 record within the Western Athletic Conference.
