On Sunday evening, what started looking like a win for Seton Hall turned into a 3-1 loss (20-25, 15-25, 25-18, 19-25) against DePaul.
The Seton Hall vs. DePaul volleyball game was held in Walsh Gym, home of the Pirates. The team was hosting its Kids Day, which allowed for post-game autographs and in-between-set games. The Pirates accumulated 44 kills, three aces, five blocks, 37 assists, and 57 digs throughout the four sets.
Set 1
The Seton Hall Pirates started strong in the beginning, yet as the set continued, the score remained close, with the Pirates slightly ahead of the Blue Demons. There were some incredible saves made by Libero and Hadlee Ackerman, as well as smart plays made between Setter Maddie Klungel (Senior) and Outside Hitter Reagan Mark (Senior), whose chemistry on the court was unmatched. Despite these smart plays, the trajectory of the set changed as the DePaul Blue Demons began to toughen up their defense late in the first period. At one moment, the score was 18-15 in favor of Seton Hall until DePaul caught up to make the score 19-20 Blue Devils. The set ended up with a win for the Blue Devils with a final score of 25-20.
Set 2
DePaul’s defensive and offensive tactics remained strong in the second set. Seton Hall struggled with errors throughout the set, whether that was due to service errors, out-of-bounds blocks, and hits that landed over the white line. The Pirates were down 9-19 when they made their second timeout of the set. That timeout gave them some time to take a break and go over strategies to help them come back, as they fought back and raised the score to 23-15 when DePaul called their first timeout. Similar to Seton Hall, the Blue Demons were able to use this timeout to bring the score back up to their advantage, ending the game at 25-15, Blue Devils.
Set 3
The outcome of the first two sets didn’t faze the Seton Hall Pirates entering the third. The score began close, but Seton Hall managed to work hard and had the advantage over DePaul. They ended the third set with a total of 17 kills, the highest in all four sets. The Pirates learned from their mistakes in the first two sets and were able to set up those perfect passes, sets, and hits that hit the ground, making the final score 25-18, Seton Hall.
Set 4
DePaul had a slight lead for the duration of the fourth, with Seton Hall close behind until their comeback, tying at 16-16. However, there were both kills and attack errors for the Pirates and the Blue Demons, yet the Blue Demons remained ahead in kills for the fourth with 18, while Seton Hall had 11. Despite the Pirates’ comeback late in the fourth set, the Blue Demons remained ahead with a final score of 25-19.
Senna Roberts-Navarro (Sophomore), Outside Hitter, and Laila Wallace (Grade School), Middle Blocker, led the game in kills with nine each, adding 18 to the total of 44 for the Pirates. Setter Maddie Klungel led the game in assists with 32, a match-high for the senior. Libero Hadlee Ackerman (Junior) held a career-high of 20 digs within all four sets to lead the Pirates.
Following their loss, the Seton Hall Pirates are now 7-10 and 1-5 in Big East play. Fans should tune into PSN on FloSports or visit Walsh Gymnasium in West Orange, N.J., on Wednesday, October 16th, for Seton Hall vs. Georgetown.
