Volleyball Hosts West Virginia, Pittsburgh in BIG EAST Battles
10/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Follow the Pirates' BIG EAST home-opening weekend with live video and live stats for both matches.
vs. WEST VIRGINIA (11-6, 1-1)
October 2 - 2:00 p.m.
SHU VS. WVU All-Time: 9-10
Last Meeting: Nov. 15, 2009
Location: Morgantown, W. Va.
Result: W, 3-1
vs. PITTSBURGH (6-11, 1-1)
October 3 - Noon
SHU VS. PITT: 3-23
Last Meeting: Nov. 13, 2009
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Result: L, 3-1
Coming off a stirring 3-2 win at Louisville, Seton Hall is back in Walsh Gymnasium for its BIG EAST home opening weekend. The Pirates host West Virginia on Saturday before taking on Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Seton Hall's win over Louisville was the first in school history against the Cardinals, who were picked second in the conference in the preseason coaches' poll. Making the victory even more special was the play of senior Sarah Osmun, who broke the school record for kills early in the fifth set. Osmun's play over the weekend, which also included a strong effort against Cincinnati, earned her a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
West Virginia is off to a strong start in 2010 with 11 wins in its first 17 matches. Last weekend, the Mountaineers were swept at Notre Dame before coming back to defeat DePaul in three sets. Junior outside Michelle Kopecky leads the team with 2.98 kills per set, followed closely by senior middle Lauren Evans with 2.96 kills per set. West Virginia leads the nation with 19.94 digs per set, with senior libero Bonnie West and junior outside Serinna Russo both averaging more than five.
Pittsburgh enters the weekend with a 6-11 mark overall, including a 1-1 record in conference play. The Panthers, who face Rutgers on Friday night, beat DePaul by a 3-1 margin before getting swept at Notre Dame. Senior outside Amy Town has been good for 3.69 kills per set, which ranks fourth in the BIG EAST. Senior middle Imani Harper is averaging 2.69 kills per set.
OSMUN SETS SCHOOL KILL RECORD
Senior Sarah Osmun, just the seventh player in school history to eclipse 1,000-kill mark, became the all-time leader in kills at Seton Hall on Sept. 26 at Louisville. Osmun tied Jennifer Cheshire's mark of 1,379 in the fourth set before setting the new record in set five.
CAREER KILL LEADERS
1. 1,384 Sarah Osmun 2007-Present
2. 1,379 Jennifer Cheshire 1994-97
3. 1,345 Tricia Meyers 2005-08
4. 1,156 Jenna Meyers 2000-03
5. 1,124 Kari Belin 1999-02
MORE ON OZ
Sarah Osmun is currently third the BIG EAST with 3.83 kills per set and 4.25 points per set. She earned All-Tournament honors at both the Hampton Inn Classic and the Seton Hall Invitational, and was most recently named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Sept. 27. In the Pirates' win over Louisville, Osmun accounted for 21 kills, the 14th time in her career she has had at least 20.
BREAKTHROUGH AGAINST LOUISVILLE
The Hall's win over Louisville was the first in school history against the Cardinals, who had taken the first five meetings. Louisville was picked second in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, making it one of the biggest road wins in Pirates' history.
BATTLING THE BEARCATS
Prior to its win at Louisville, the Pirates suffered a 3-0 defeat to Cincinnati in their conference opener. Seton Hall played well, however, pushing the BIG EAST-favorite and nationally ranked Bearcats to extra points in each of the first two sets.
MUTT RISES UP THE RANKINGS
Junior right side hitter Meghan Matusiak has teamed up with Sarah Osmun to form one of the top one-two punches in the BIG EAST. Matusiak is seventh in the conference with 3.49 kills per set and fourth in the league with 4.17 points per set.
THE 1,000-1,000 CLUB
Sarah Osmun passed the 1,000-dig mark in the Hall's win over UMBC on Sept. 17. She joined Jennifer Cheshire and Laura Romeika as the only players in school history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
MATUSIAK HONORED IN CALIFORNIA
Meghan Matusiak was named to the All-Tournament team at the Hilton Garden Inn Classic, hosted by California. Matusiak posted a double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs against Fresno State, and she later added 10 kills against UC Davis.
WARREN KEEPS DIGGING
Freshman libero Alyssa Warren is off to a great start in her Seton Hall career with 4.51 digs per set, good for fifth in the BIG EAST. Warren has already turned in several big efforts, with matches of 31, 27, 24 and 22 digs.
WARREN WASTES NO TIME
Freshman libero Alyssa Warren stepped right into the starting lineup in her first weekend of collegiate volleyball and finished with 5.15 digs per set. Warren came up with 31 digs against Winthrop, which ties for the third-highest single match total in school history.
PRESEASON POLL
Following a promising 2009 campaign, Seton Hall was picked seventh in this year's BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. It is the highest the Pirates have been slotted under fifth-year head coach Kris Zeiter. The Hall finished last season in a tie for eighth place.
PROGRAM ON THE RISE
The year 2009 saw Seton Hall earn its first berth in the BIG EAST Championship since 1994. As the No. 8 seed, the Pirates took on No. 1 Notre Dame in the first round, falling 3-0. The 2010 Championship will be played at Pittsburgh, with just the top eight teams qualifying once again.
WARREN IMPRESSES IN RED, WHITE & BLUE
Freshman libero Alyssa Warren spent part of her summer as a member of the U.S. Junior National A2 Team, helping the squad to a silver medal at the USA Volleyball High Performance Championships in Wisconsin Dells, Wis. Warren was one of only six players in an 18-team division to earn All-Tournament honors, picking up the distinction of Best Passer. The performance will likely yield an invitation to the next round of national team tryouts.
BEYOND THE NET
Seton Hall is filming a season-long reality show on the 2010 volleyball season, entitled "Beyond the Net." Episodes will air exclusively on SHUPirates.com, the official website of Seton Hall Athletics.
