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Volleyball Falls to Alabama in Opener, 3-1
8/30/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug 30, 2013
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Junior Shelbey Manthorpe (Merion Station, Pa.) recorded a double-double, but the Seton Hall women's volleyball team fell to Alabama, 3-1 (19-25, 22-25, 25-23, 23-25), in the Pirates' season opener at the U.S. Military Academy Tournament on Friday.
Manthorpe had a match-high 40 assists to go with 11 digs. She finished just two kills shy of her 13th career triple-double.
Sophomore Kayla Kohler (Whitehall, Pa.) led the team with a career-high 14 kills and had an impressive .379 attack percentage. Kohler was forced to play big minutes with Stacey Manthorpe and Simona Sekulova out with injuries.
Reigning BIG EAST Libero of the Year, Alyssa Warren (Joliet, Ill.), led all players with 22 digs.
Alabama (1-0) never trailed in set one, jumping out to a 16-11 lead. The Pirates closed the gap and pulled to within one point at 20-19 on a kill by Kohler, but it would be the final point of the set for Seton Hall as the Crimson Tide closed out the Pirates with a 5-0 run.
In set two, the Pirates trailed 14-10, but took the lead with a 5-0 run capped by a pair of kills by sophomore Amanda Hansen (Pewaukee, Wis.). With Seton Hall leading 18-17, Alabama scored the next five points to take a 22-18 lead and eventually win the set, 25-22.
Facing a 2-0 set deficit, the Pirates stormed back in set three. With the score tied at nine, Seton Hall went on a 5-1 run to take a 14-10 lead and prompt a Crimson Tide timeout. Leading 18-13, Alabama went on a 9-3 run to take a late 22-21 lead. Manthorpe's kill tied the set at 22 and a pair of late kills by sophomore Molly Grammer (Center Valley, Pa.) helped extend the match with a 25-23 set three victory for the Pirates.
Alabama jumped out to a 16-10 lead in set four. With the Crimson Tide leading 19-14, Seton Hall went on a 9-3 run and Sara Connell's (Dousman, Wis.) ace gave the Pirates a 23-22 lead. But their comeback fell short as Alabama scored the final three points of the set to win 25-23 and finish off a 3-1 match victory.
All three of Seton Hall's newcomers saw action in the season-opener. Tessa Fournier (Redondo Beach, Calif.) saw action in all four sets and made 12 digs, second-most on the team. Danielle Schroeder (Chicago, Ill.) played in four sets and had seven kills and three total blocks. Hailey Hetzer (San Pedro, Calif.) saw action in one set.
The Pirates will continue play at the U.S. Military Academy on Saturday. Seton Hall will face host Army at 10:00 a.m. and Washington State at 4:30 p.m.
