Volleyball Kicks Off BIG EAST Slate at #25 Cincinnati, Louisville
9/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
at #25 CINCINNATI (11-3) LIVE STATS LIVE VIDEO
September 24 - 7:30 p.m.
SHU VS. UC All-Time: 1-4
Last Meeting: Oct. 18, 2009
Location: South Orange, N.J.
Result: L, 3-1
vs. LOUISVILLE (5-4) LIVE STATS
September 26 - 2:00 p.m.
SHU VS. U of L: 0-5
Last Meeting: Oct. 17, 2009
Location: South Orange, N.J.
Result: L, 3-0
Coming off a 3-0 rout of Fordham, Seton Hall kicks off BIG EAST play this weekend with matches against #25 Cincinnati and Louisville. The Bearcats and Cardinals were picked first and second, respectively, in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The Pirates had arguably their best performance of the season their last time out, dismantling Fordham in just over an hour. Meghan Matusiak led the way with 13 kills, while Alyssa Warren had a game-high 14 digs. Sarah Osmun moved into second place all-time on the Seton Hall career kills list, picking up seven more to bring her total to 1,346.
Cincinnati entered the AVCA Poll this week at #25. The Bearcats have won four straight, including a 3-2 win over fifth-ranked Illinois on Sept. 17. Senior outside Stephanie Niemer, the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, has lived up to the hype, leading the conference with 5.24 kills per set. Senior setter Annie Fesl is second in the BIG EAST with 11.76 assists per set.
Louisville has dropped two straight matches, falling to Illinois and Purdue in four sets each. Sophomore outside Lola Arslanbekova is eighth in the conference with 3.29 kills per set, while senior middle Amanda Simmons leads the conference with 1.42 blocks per set.
The Pirates return home next weekend to host West Virginia and Pittsburgh as BIG EAST play continues.
THE OSMUN WATCH
Senior Sarah Osmun, just the seventh player in school history to eclipse 1,000-kill mark, is on pace to set the Seton Hall career record in her final year. She has recorded 1,346 kills to date, leaving her in second place and 33 short of Jennifer Cheshire's school record. Osmun passed Tricia Meyers for second on Sept. 21 against Fordham.
CAREER KILL LEADERS
1. 1,379 Jennifer Cheshire 1994-97
2. 1,346 Sarah Osmun 2007-Present
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 3.69 kills per set and fourth with 4.11 points per set. She earned All-Tournament honors at both the Hampton Inn Classic and the Seton Hall Invitational. In the Pirates' home-opening win over Princeton, Osmun set a new career-high with 22 digs to go along with a dozen kills.
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 fourth in the conference with 3.67 kills per set and third in the league with 4.35 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.
CAREER NIGHT FOR BONK
Junior outside Meghan Bonk turned in her best outing in a Pirates uniform at Hofstra, registering career-highs of 14 kills and eight digs. Bonk finished the match with a .357 attack percentage.
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.
DeVRIES MAKES ALL-TOURNAMENT
Sophomore Morgan DeVries was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Tribe Invitational hosted by William and Mary. She opened the season with a 14-kill performance in a win over the Tribe, hitting .591 for the game. DeVries added nine kills against Winthrop and five more against Wisconsin, finishing the weekend with a .250 attack percentage.
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.
