Seattle, Wash. - Despite not having their A-game on the night, the Tiger volleyball team, led by junior Kat Schulz, was able to overcome and down Seattle University, 3-1, on Thursday, September 4. The Tigers improved their record to 3-1 on the year as they kicked off the Redhawk Invitational with a victory over the host team.

Set scores for the match were: 25-21, 25-21, 20-25, 25-21.

An early 5-0 run by the Tigers gave Pacific the cushion in the opening set they would need to overcome what was an uncharacteristically sloppy first set. The run, which put the Tigers up 10-5, was initiated by the tough serving of freshman Andie Shelton as she forced the Redhawks into bad passes leading to points for the Tigers. Sophomore Alicja Wilk was able to take advantage of the mistakes as she led the way four kills on just six swings. The Redhawks would close to within three late, but a kill from senior Gillian Howard would put an end to their comeback hopes.

After taking the opening set, the Tigers found themselves playing from behind much of the second set as the offense struggled to find its rhythm against Seattle's block. However, the Redhawks kept the Tigers in the set with a slew of service errors which gave Pacific enough time to find its footing on the road. Again, it was a 5-0 run that turned the set for the Tigers, this time midway through the set as a pair of kills and the blocking of the front line turned a 14-13 hole into an 18-14 advantage.

Despite a pair of 7-1 runs and a lead as large as seven points in set three, the Tigers could not overcome the Redhawk block in the frame as Seattle was able to grab their first set win of the night. Twice, the Tigers held six-point leads and pushed their lead to as large as seven, only to see Seattle battle back and overwhelm Pacific's attack. The home Redhawks would pick up three late blocks to finish the set on a 5-0 run and end the frame with five total blocks. 

The Redhawks picked up where they left off in the previous set, running out to a 12-5 lead before a subtle roll shot from Schulz allowed the Tigers' to settle down and regroup. Behind Schulz and a renewed energy, the Tigers ran off 10 of the next 12 points to take their first lead of the set at 15-14 before the Redhawks could respond. The Tigers would lead by as much as four at 19-15 before holding off a late charge to close out the match. Fittingly, it was Schulz who finished the Redhawks off with a kill from the left side to end the frame 25-21. She would finish the set with six kills on .500 hitting while her counterpart, sophomore Lexi Elman, added six kills as well.

Overcoming a sluggish start, Schulz finished the match with her second-straight double-double as the third-year opposite posted 14 kills and 10 digs. Her 14 kills trailied only Elman's match-best 17 kills on 45 attacks. Freshman libero Katrin Gotterba kept up her strong play on the back line as she posted 16 digs while adding three aces from the service line. 

The Redhawks were le by Martina Samadan and Matea Mamic as the duo each grabbed 14 kills while committing just three combined mistakes. Samadan led the blocking efforts for the Redhawks with 10 blocks as Seattle dominated the net with 17 team blocks. Overall, Seattle was able to outhit the Tigers, .222-to-.195, but 16 service errors proved to be a major factor in Pacific's victory.

The Tigers are back in action against Oregon State on Friday, Sept. 5, as the two teams kick off day two of the invitational at 4:00 pm.