The Pirates dropped their second straight match tonight, falling in straight sets to the Butler Bulldogs (25-23, 25-14, 25-23).
Amanda Boyer/Photography Editor
The Pirates started off strong in the first set going on a 6-2 run behind three straight kills from Shelbey Manthorpe, who finished the night with 15 kills and seven digs. Butler quickly fought back to a 10-9 split midway through the set. Three points later, two desperate digs by the Manthorpes set up Mary Striedl for a kill.
The Bulldogs fought back to take the first set by a score of 25-23. After the Bulldogs took their first lead, 17-16, they never looked back. From that point on, the Pirates appeared to be a step behind on every point.
The Bulldogs controlled much of the second set despite the back-and-forth action early in the set. The Pirates took a timeout trailing 18-9 but still failed to swing the momentum into their favor. The Hall appeared to be overmatched as Butler figured out the Pirates offensive scheme on their way to a 25-14 set victory.
The Pirates still had some fight left in them in the third set after an early kill by Shelbey Manthorpe. The Hall tried to swing the momentum following a long rally but couldn’t capitalize. “We haven’t played well the past few games,” Yaeger said. “But it’s up to the players to make the change. One game is all you need to gain momentum.There was a little bit of fatigue from yesterday but that is to be expected. As with any sport there is always a little bit of a hangover when you lose a tough match the night before.”
Stacey Manthorpe finished with 36 assists for the Pirates and libero Tessa Fournier added 13 digs. The Pirates are back in action at home vs. LIU-Brooklyn on Tuesday.
Kevin Huebler can be reached at kevin.huebler@student.shu.edu.
