The Seton Hall Pirates lost in straight sets to the Marquette Golden Eagles on Friday night at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, Wis. The match was the first Big East contest for Seton Hall, and one that ultimately extended their losing streak to six games as the Pirates have hit a rough patch after what was a 6-2 start to the season.
Marquette jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in the first set, quickly gaining control over the Pirates. Seton Hall would fight to earn a couple back-and-forth points, however, the set would end in a 25-20 win for the Golden Eagles.
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Photo via SHU Athletics[/caption]
The second set would begin with Marquette carrying on in their dominance, opening with a 4-1 lead. The Pirates then began to turn things around, scoring five points in a row to take the lead at 6-4. The lead would not last long, though, with the advantage being exchanged multiple times with ties at 10,11 and 12-all. Marquette then figured Seton Hall out, regaining their composure and winning the set by the same score as the first, 25-20.
The Golden Eagles soared in the final set of the night, beginning with a lead of 13-10. The Pirates battled back to cut the lead to just one point at 19-18, but only scored one point the rest of the way, as Marquette finished out the match on a 6-1 run.
For the Pirates, Abby Thelen led the way on offense, leading the team with 11 kills and adding two blocks along the way. She was supported by experienced teammates Dominique Mason and Sharay Barnes, who had nine and seven kills, respectively. Along the back-line, Sarah Kenneweg led Seton Hall with 14 digs on the night. Another bright spot for the Pirates was setter Sophia Coffey, who gave the team 16 assists and 13 digs. The Golden Eagles were led by Allie Barber, with 16 kills, and Jenna Rosenthal, who had 15.
After the win, the Marquette Golden Eagles hold an 8-5 record on the season, while the Pirates stand at 6-8. More crucially than their overall record, Seton Hall is now 0-1 in conference play and will look to quickly even that out when they travel to Chicago, Ill. on Saturday to face the DePaul Blue Demons. After that, the Pirates will return home to face Creighton on Friday, Sept. 29, at Walsh Gymnasium.
Robert Musantry can be reached at robert.musantry@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @rfmusantry.
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