SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. The Seton Hall volleyball team defeated West Virginia, 3-0 (30-22, 30-28, 30-20) on Saturday afternoon. The win snapped a four-match conference losing streak for the Pirates (14-11, 3-6 BE), who are trying to earn the eighth and final BIG EAST Tournament spot. Seton Hall came into the match in 11th place in the conference with five BIG EAST matches left on the season. West Virginia is now 2-25 and 1-9 BIG EAST play.
Freshman Allie Matters (North Tonowanda, N.Y.) posted her third straight double-double with 14 kills and 15 digs. The trio of sophomores Tricia Meyers (Cincinnati, Ohio), Breanna Leisner (Bloomington, Ill.), and Brittany Rahrer (Fort Wayne, Ind.) played key roles in the Pirates victory. Meyers had 13 kills and a hitting percentage of .429; Leisner registered 12 kills and nine digs; and Rahrer handed out 48 assists.
The Pirates jumped out to a 14-9 lead to start game one, but the Mountaineers cut their deficit to 16-15. Seton Hall went on a 5-0 run and eventually extended their lead to 26-19 as they went on to win game one 30-22.
In game two, the Pirates took an 11-7 lead, but once again West Virginia stayed close and gained the lead at 17-16. Seton Hall regained the lead and began pulling away from the Mountaineers with a 28-20 advantage. West Virginia came back again, going on 8-1 run, to cut the Pirate lead to 29-28. The Pirates capitalized on a Mountaineer attack error to seal the victory in game two.
Seton Hall took control of game three with an 18-10 lead. West Virginia came within five at 20-15. That was as close as the Mountaineers came, and the Pirates completed the sweep.
The Pirates return to action tomorrow against Pittsburgh on Oct. 29, at 2:00 p.m. at Walsh Gym in a BIG EAST contest.
