Women’s volleyball will take on Marquette and DePaul this weekend coming off a four-game win streak.
Amanda Boyer/Photography Editor
The win streak may not be high on the list for the team, who officially controls their own fate with an opportunity to continue playing into the post-season.
A sweep over Villanova 3-0 on Saturday, Nov. 8, to improve their record to 23-6 and 11-3 in the Big East, the women look toward Marquette and DePaul at home this weekend.
Marquette snapped the women’s 12-game winning streak earlier in the season, defeating the Pirates in four sets on Oct. 18. This match will be personal for the team, it’s also a match of importance as the Pirates look to continue playing into the post-season.
The last time that the Pirate’s faced DePaul, was Oct. 17, en route to their 12th-consecutive win, one night before falling to Marquette.
With their senior season nearing its end, the pressure to continue playing into the post season is becoming more noticeable for sisters, Stacey and Shelbey Manthorpe.
Stacey Manthorpe has already had a remarkable season becoming the eighth player in Seton Hall history to record 1,000 career kills. In the last match alone, Stacey finished leading the team with nine kills. Stacey commented on the importance of the upcoming games,
“We are ready to take on Marquette on Friday because it is the only team we haven’t beaten in the Big East this year,” Stacey Manthorpe said. “Saturday will be an emotional game against DePaul because it is Senior Night.”
Shelbey Manthorpe recorded her 13th double-double of the season last match while continuing her dominance on the court with assists and kills.
“We are feeling pretty good about the upcoming games,” Shelbey Manthorpe said. “We’ve been working hard … and think we are going to be very successful.”
The team has seen many contributions from all over the court and hopes to bring that influx of team awareness into the weekend. Junior Amanda Hansen has brought her own fierce gameplay with multiple games recording important kills, digs and assists.
“Overall we have been focusing on the Marquette match and working on things we need to improve. We have been working very hard this week and hopefully it will pay off,” Hansen said. “I am very excited going into this weekend to test how well we can play against Marquette since we evenly match up with them.”
The Big East Defensive Player of the Week, Sophomore Tessa Fournier, recently recorded 20+ digs in three different matches. Fournier also led the Big East conference in digs and digs per set, an impressive feat for the sophomore.
The post-season atmosphere includes a potential Seton Hall berth depending on the next couple of games. If the Pirate’s win one more game they secure a seat, or if Xavier loses one game. If Seton Hall loses a game then the window for the playoffs gets smaller but still very possible.
The Pirate’s will lead that fight defending the home court in both of the upcoming matches. The Pirates will take on Marquette on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. and DePaul on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. as the Pirates will play in Senior Night.
Rene Pereira can be reached at rene.pereira@student.shu.edu or on twitter @ReneRene24.
