BOX SCORE #24 Sonoma State 3, Seattle Pacific 0 (27-25, 25-13, 25-23) -- Box Score
HONOLULU, Hawai'i --
Kelsey Hull pounded 18 kills to the hardwood and recorded a .406 hitting percentage as the Sonoma State volleyball team earned a three-set sweep over Seattle Pacific (27-25, 25-13, 25-23) in the 2012 regular season opener for both teams at the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Invitational in Honolulu, Hawai'i. The Seawolves, ranked at No. 24 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Top 25 Preseason Poll, goes to 1-0 on the year while the Falcons drop to 0-1.
As expected, both teams would trade points in the early going before a kill by Hull and four straight kills by
Caylie Seitz would break a 9-9 tie and give Sonoma State a 14-9 lead in the first set. Seattle Pacific would eventually chip away at its deficit and knot the set at 24-24, staving off set point by SSU, which led 24-21 at one point. The Seawolves and Falcons traded points before
Brooke Moore and Hull recorded back-to-back kills to give Sonoma State the narrow 27-25 win in the opening set.
It was all Seawolves in the second set, as the squad cruised to a 25-13 win to lead the match 2-0. In the third set, Seattle Pacific battled from behind for most of the frame, evening tying Sonoma State at 23-23 after a 4-0 run, but SSU would prove to be too much for the SPU backline as Hull and Seitz slammed two kills to the floor, giving the Seawolves a 25-23 match-clinching win in set number three.
Hull was one kill shy of tying her career record for most kills in one match (19 kills against Cal Poly Pomona on Oct. 7, 2011), eight of her 18 came in the first set alone.
Caylie Seitz and
Ally Sather recorded nine kills apiece in the victory while
Hayley Ross passed out 39 assists.
Nicole Gragnola led the Sonoma State defense with 13 digs and Sather also dug 10 attacks, marking the first time in her career that she has recorded 10 or more digs.
Sonoma State will next take on Hawai'i Pacific on Friday in Honolulu at 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
