Amidst their fight for a BIG EAST tournament spot, Seton Hall hosted its last home game of the season at Walsh Gymnasium, where the No. 15 ranked Creighton Bluejays swept the Pirates on Nov. 10.
The first set began with The Hall keeping the match competitive, having kept a deficit of just two points. Mid-set, however, Creighton was able to pull away, and junior setter Kendra Wait became an integral part. The Pirates could not recover, and the first set ended with the Bluejays winning, 25-17.
Senior outside hitter Bianca Bucciarelli led the Pirates in kills at the end of the first set with three to her name. Junior setter Madison Klungel and senior setter Taylor Jakubowski combined for seven assists. Freshman Rylee Nelson led the defense with four digs.
On the other side of the court, Wait had 19 assists. Leading in kills, junior outside hitter Norah Sis managed to get five by the end of the first set.
As the second set began, the Pirates were not as quick to let the Bluejays out of their sight. Seton Hall managed to stay close to Creighton, similar to the first set, though a five point burst by the Bluejays halted the momentum.
Seton Hall once again struggled to close the gap Creighton created, and the set ended with Creighton winning 25-18, leading the Pirates closer to being swept.
Junior middle blocker Hanna Tulli made her presence known on the court despite losing the set with 7 kills.
Creighton’s Sis continued to lead the team with kills, adding five more during the second set. Her kills came from both the front and back rows, giving the Pirates trouble picking them.
Seton Hall realized it needed to capitalize in the third set. Even when Creighton would begin to pull away, Seton Hall came back stronger. The third set was a tug of war between the teams until the end.
With the set tied at 20, Creighton was able to gain a lead over Seton Hall, and the set ended, 25-21, in favor of the Bluejays.
For Seton Hall, Tulli ended the game with a total of nine kills. Bucciarelli and senior outside hitter Perri Lucas were just behind her with six kills a piece. Nelson stood strong in the back row with 10 digs to round out the night.
For Creighton, Sis had 16 kills, leading her offense and contributing 18 points herself. On the defensive end, freshman libero Sydney Breissinger had 16 digs.
Seton Hall falls to 8-8 in conference play and 14-13 overall, and will continue their BIG EAST play with their last two games next weekend. They will play DePaul University and Marquette University in their last attempt to make the BIG EAST Tournament, as the Pirates are currently tied for fifth with DePaul.
Beth Berardi can be reached at beth.berardi@student.shu.edu.
