Seattle University’s Women’s Volleyball team traveled to Edinburg Texas, where the West Athletic Conference (WAC) was being held.
The Redhawks tournament journey came to a fast end as they were eliminated in the first round of play. They lost to California State University Bakersfield 3-0, finishing their season with an overall record of 11-17.
The Redhawks fell to CSU Bakersfield, who went on to win the whole tournament.
“We went in with a lot of high expectations, we had some good performances from some young players, but overall we did play at the potential that we were hoping to be able to do,” head coach James Finley said. “Bakersfield had played a great match, and they ended up winning the whole tournament so they did a really nice job.”
To kick the WAC tournament off, a banquet was held to announce All-Conference teams. Junior Shae Harris added 2017 Western Athletic Conference Volleyball Setter of the Year to her resume. Katarina Marinkovic was named to the 2017 All-WAC First Team. Harris racked up another award as she was selected for Second Team All-WAC. Anna Palmer and Tijana Milojevic were named to the All-Freshman Team.
Maja Stojanovic and Marinkovic led the way for Seattle U as they recorded several kills apiece. Behind them was freshman Palmer, who tallied up five kills. Setter Harris recorded 22 assists, while teammate Milojevic had 19 digs for the Redhawks.
“Our season this year was really good, but I felt like when we got to the WAC tournament, we played without heart. And I think that’s what the most disappointing thing was.” Harris said. “The culture of our team this year was really awesome…We really improved as a group, and as a unit. Throughout conference, we had our ups and downs, but overall, we did really well as a group and it was really fun season. It was just really disappointing to get to the WAC Tournament and to get knocked out in the first round.”
In the first and last game of the WAC volleyball tournament, the Redhawks were hitting .078. Seattle U also recorded 29 kills with 21 errors out of 103 attempts. While on the other side of the net, Bakersfield was hitting .165. The Runners finished more opportunities as they recorded 35 kills with 16 errors out of 106 attempts.
“For the season this year, there were a lot of exciting things. We are really young, it was really fun to watch this group grow, they worked really hard. The culture of our team really made some great strides forward,” Finley said. “The main thing that we need is consistency, and being able to play with a little more passion. So, I think those two things will come as our team grows and it’s not so much freshman anymore.”
The WAC Volleyball Tournament concluded with Cal State Bakersfield taking home the WAC title.
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