Volleyball Opens Season with Army Tourney

Aug 29, 2013

AUGUST 30-31, 2013
U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY TOURNAMENT
Friday - SETON HALL vs. Alabama (Noon)
Saturday - SETON HALL at Army (10:00 am)
Saturday - SETON HALL vs. Washington State (4:30 pm)

SETON HALL STATUS
Seton Hall opens the 2013 season with 14 straight matches on the road before finally making its Walsh Gym debut vs. Hofstra on Oct. 8. The Pirates will begin the season with three matches as part of the U.S. Military Academy Tournament in West Point, N.Y. The Hall will face Alabama on Friday and both host Army and Washington State on Saturday.

Seton Hall will begin play in the new-look, nine-team BIG EAST Conference on Friday, Sept. 27 when they travel to St. John's. The Pirates will play 16 conference games, facing their eight opponents both at home and on the road. Volleyball powerhouse Creighton, as well as Butler and Xavier, join the conference, while Louisville, USF, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Notre Dame and Syracuse all depart.

The Pirates are predicted to finish fourth in the nine-team conference in 2013, with Creighton selected as the preseason favorites. Marquette and Xavier were the other two programs picked to finish ahead of Seton Hall.

PRESEASON POLL
Seton Hall was picked fourth in this year's BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. Last season, the Pirates finished ninth. The new-look BIG EAST features nine teams that sponsor volleyball.

MANTHORPE PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST
For a second straight season, Shelbey Manthorpe earned Preseason All-BIG EAST honors. The setter finished the 2012 season with a team-best 19 double-doubles, including eight triple-doubles, which led the nation.

NEW BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2013 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship will be conducted Nov. 29-30 in Omaha, Neb. The top four teams, based on regular-season conference records, will qualify for the event and will be seeded according to their finish in the league standings. The 32nd annual championship will be hosted by Creighton at DJ Sokol Arena. The champion receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship.

DEFENSIVE LEADER RETURNS
Senior Alyssa Warren, the 2012 BIG EAST Libero of the Year, returns to defend her title in 2013. Warren led the BIG EAST Conference and ranked seventh in the nation in digs and digs per set.

18 WINS
Seton Hall's victory over DePaul last season was its 18th overall win of the season. Its the highest win total for a Pirate team since winning 20 games in 2003.

CLOSING IN
Senior Alyssa Warren needs only 205 digs to become Seton Hall's all-time digs leader. Former Seton Hall standout and current assistant coach Allie Matters presently holds the record with 1,945 career digs.

TRIPLE-DOUBLES GALORE
In 2012, junior Shelbey Manthorpe led the nation with eight triple-doubles. She enters the 2013 season with 12 in her collegiate career. Prior to her arrival in South Orange, no player in Seton Hall history had recorded a single triple-double.

CAPTAINS SELECTED
Alyssa Warren and Shelbey Manthorpe were named 2013 Seton Hall women's volleyball team captains.

SISTER ACT
Stacey Manthorpe and Shelbey Manthorpe continue to be a versatile force on the court for Seton Hall. The twins were the Pirates' top two players in double-doubles last season and have already combined for 57 in their career.

MEET THE NEW PIRATES
Head coach Allison Yaeger added three newcomers: libero Tessa Fournier (Redondo Beach, Calif.), outside hitter Hailey Hetzer (San Pedro, Calif.) and outside hitter Dani Schroeder (Chicago, Ill.) to the team for 2013.

FOLLOW @SHUVOLLEY ON TWITTER
For inside info, pictures, and in-match updates, follow the SHU volleyball program on Twitter @SHUVolley.