With the backdrop of a Friday night loss to Villanova that put the Seton Hall volleyball team out of the Big East Tournament picture, the Pirates prevailed over the Georgetown Hoyas on Saturday in a five-set match that put them back in postseason position.
The first set created the tone for the match as there were nine ties and seven lead changes. Georgetown would ultimately take command of the set with a 7-2 run which helped them take the first advantage in the game at one-set-to-none.
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Photo via SHU Athletics[/caption]
But the first set loss would not phase the Pirates, as the road side won two straight sets by an identical 25-17 score, with one set sparked by a 6-1 run and the other sparked by an 8-1 run.
The Hall was also able to force Georgetown into mistakes in the second and third set, as the Hoyas committed nine errors. The errors, combined with Seton Hall's offense, would prove to be a deadly combination as Seton Hall attacked with a 51.9% efficiency in the third set; the best rate of any team in any set throughout the match.
The dominance in sets two and three would not carry over into the fourth set, though, as Georgetown was able to even the game with a 25-18 victory. The Hoyas were able to limit their errors in the fourth, which allowed them to extend the competition into a fifth set.
The final set of the night was dominated by Seton Hall. They were able to stop Georgetown’s momentum and finished off the set never trailing. The set finished 15-9, with the Pirates able to take a hard-fought victory back to South Orange.
Abby Thelen once again led the Pirates in kills, as she finished with 17. It was the 13th time this season Thelen recorded at least 15 kills in a game.
Behind Thelen, Sarah Kenneweg continued to approach Hall history, as she is now only 12 digs away from entering the Pirates top 10 all-time list for digs, with Kenneweg currently standing at 1,060.
Seton Hall will travel to St. John’s for their final away match of the season on Saturday, looking to defeat their rivals before finishing off the regular season with two contests at home.
Robert Fallo can be reached at robert.fallo@student.shu.edu.
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