The Seton Hall University Volleyball team competed in the 2010 Big East Championship first round Friday afternoon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Seton Hall (13-18) went into the tournament as the seventh seed, and their opponent was the second seeded Louisville Cardinals (19-7).
Seton Hall historically has not fared well against the Cardinals, posting a 1-5 all-time record.
That lone win, however, came in September of this year.
The Pirates could have used the mentality of already beating Louisville this year to propel them past the Cardinals again, but that was not the case.
Seton Hall dropped the opening round match to Louisville (25-17, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21), eliminating them from the 2010 Big East Championship.
The Pirates were picked to finish seventh in the Big East Preseason Coaches' Poll, and winded up finishing tied for sixth with the Pittsburgh Panthers.
After Seton Hall lost the first set 25-17, they rebounded nicely in the second set, taking it 25-22, leaving the match at a 1-1 lock.
The Pirates were close in set three as well, as junior Meghan Matusiak hit two kills that gave the Pirates a 16-15.
Later in the set, the Pirates found themselves trailing 24-23, but a kill by Anastasia Artemeva of Louisville gave them the win, and a 2-1 set advantage in the match.
With the Cardinals only needing to win 1 more set to emerge victorious, they got out to a fast start in the fourth set, and at one point led 17-9.
The Pirates mounted a comeback and got within two points at 23-21, but two straight kills by Lola Arslanbekova of Louisville, put Seton Hall away for good, and sent the Cardinals onto the next round of the 2010 Big East Championship.
This match marked the finale of a wonderful career for senior Sarah Osmun.
She had 19 kills and 19 digs, and has finished up her career with the most kills in Seton Hall history.
Matusiak recorded 17 kills, including the 1000th of her career, and sophomore Olivia Trudeau also contributed a game-high 42 assists. The Cardinals were paced by Lola Arslanbekova, who earned 25 kills.
John Provenzano can be reached at john.provenzano@student.shu.edu.
