SEATTLE—A pair of career-highs were not enough to propel Idaho past Seattle U on Friday. The Redhawks outlasted Idaho in five sets, 25-22, 25-27, 25-22, 19-25, 15-10. Senior Terra Varney recorded a career-high 27 digs, moving into eighth all-time in program history with 1,072. Sophomore Kaela Straw also hit a career-high 19 kills to lead the Vandals.

Varney entered the match with 1,045 total digs, having moved up into 9th all-time earlier in the day at Washington. She moved past Jessica Moore (1995-98) in the nightcap with her 27 digs. She now moves within reach of Janelle Chow in seventh with 1,089 career digs.

Seattle U (3-2) used the offense of Matea Mamic to hand Idaho its second loss of the season. Mamic recorded a career-high 30 kills, swinging .371 percent on the night. The Redhawks as a team out hit Idaho .295 to .194 percent.

"It was a tough loss for us tonight," head coach Debbie Buchanan said. "Seattle U played great at the pins and really challenged us with big blocks and aggressive serving. I knew it was going to be tough with us playing earlier in the day. We need to get our middles more involved in the offense as we continue to get healthy."

Mamic started hot for Seattle U, totaling eight of the Redhawks' 18 kills in the first set. SU put together a 9-2 run in the opening set to gain a five-point advantage, 11-5. The Vandals cut into the Seattle U lead, tying the match at 17 on a 4-0 run. The sides traded points with Seattle U getting the last word, winning three of the final four points for the 25-22 win.

Idaho (3-2) was able to bounce back in the second. Straw and Sarah Sharp provided the bulk of the Idaho offense. Both players totaled five kills, combining for a .400 attack percentage. Play was tight in the middle of the set. Seattle U would open things up with a 4-0 run to get a 19-17 lead. Idaho was trailing 22-19 when a service error turned the ball back over to the Vandals. Sharp recorded back-to-back points, capped off by an ace to tie the match at 22. Idaho closed the set with an 8-3 stretch, winning 27-25 on an ace by Straw.

The third set played much like the second. Neither team was able to build more than a three-point advantage in the frame. The Vandals held a 16-14 lead, before a 4-0 Redhawk run gave SU back the lead at 18-16. Back-to-Back swings from Becca Mau and Straw tied the set at 18. Seattle U continued to stay out in front of Idaho. The Vandals tied the set again at 20, but would not be able to overtake the lead, dropping the set 25-22.

Straw continued her strong play in the fourth for the Vandals. She totaled six kills on nine swings, helping Idaho hit a team-best .385 in the set. The Vandals used three separate runs to jump out to a 17-10 lead, the largest cushion either team would see. The Redhawks chipped away to get back to within five at 20-15. The set would end, 25-19, off an attack error on Idaho's second set point.

SU, playing in its first match of the day, set the tone for the final set early on with a 5-1 start. Idaho bounced right back to cut the lead to 6-5. The teams switched sides of the net with Seattle U ahead, 8-5. The Vandals ran out of wind in the end, losing the set 15-10.

Sharp joined Straw as the only two Vandals with double figure kills. She finished with 17. Haylee Mathis lead Idaho with a season-high 28 assists. She recorded her second-double double of the day, adding 11 digs.

Idaho closes to the UW/SU Tournament tomorrow at 1 p.m. PT, against Villanova. The Wildcats were swept by Washington on Friday.