Volleyball to Open BIG EAST Play at St. John's

Sept. 26, 2013

SEPTEMBER 27, 2013
SETON HALL (5-6) at ST. JOHN'S (11-5)
Carnasecca Arena - Queens, N.Y.
7:00 p.m.

TV (ESPN3): CLICK HERE

Live Stats:

SETON HALL STATUS
Seton Hall won two of three matches at the Cavalier Classic last weekend to improve its overall record to 5-6. Both Shelbey Manthorpe and Stacey Manthorpe were named to the Cavalier Classic All-Tournament Team. Shelbey earned placement on this week's BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. On Friday, Seton Hall fell to Virginia, 3-1, after winning the first set. Junior Simona Sekulova made her season debut and led the Pirates with 10 kills in the loss. Alyssa Warren had a team-best 20 digs. On Saturday, the Pirates picked up a pair of victories. Seton Hall dominated William & Mary in straight sets, giving up just 33 total points for the match. Molly Grammer tallied a season-high 13 kills in the win. Ashani Rubin had seven kills and a career-high nine total blocks. In the nightcap, Seton hall trailed Columbia by two sets, but rallied to win the match in five. In the match, Alyssa Warren became Seton Hall's career digs leader with a season-high 27 digs. She surpassed former great and current assistant coach Allie Matters and now has 1,954 career kills. Shelbey Manthorpe tallied a triple-double with 46 assists, 11 kills and 10 digs. Stacey Manthorpe had 17 kills and 17 digs.

Seton Hall opens BIG EAST play with St. John's on Friday.

ALL-TIME LEADER
With 27 digs vs. Columbia on Sept. 21, senior Alyssa Warren became Seton Hall's all-time digs leader. Her 27 digs gives her 1,954 for her illustrious career, moving ahead of former Seton Hall standout and current assistant coach Allie Matters, who graduated with 1,945 career digs.

CAVALIER CLASSIC
Seton Hall played well in its final tune-up before the start of BIG EAST play. The Pirates won two of their three matches at the Cavalier Classic. They lost to Virginia in four sets (25-19, 16-25, 21-25, 20-25), but swept William & Mary (25-11, 25-14, 25-8) and rallied to defeat Columbia in five sets (17-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-17, 15-11).

SHELBEY HONOR ROLL
Junior Shelbey Manthorpe was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Sept. 23 for leading Seton Hall to three wins in four matches the week prior. She tallied two triple-doubles and one double-double during that stretch.

ALL-TOURNAMENT SISTERS
For their efforts at the Cavalier Classic, Sept. 20-21, sisters Shelbey and Stacey Manthorpe were named to the All-Tournament Team. It's the third All-Tournament Team designation for Shelbey so far this season.

SEKULOVA RETURNS
Junior Simona Sekulova made her 2013 season debut at Virginia on Sept. 20. She led Seton Hall with 10 kills to go with six digs. As she continues to recover from a knee injury, she will be limited in the number of matches she plays.

COMEBACK KIDS
Seton Hall dropped the first two sets vs. Columbia, but rallied and defeated the Lions, 3-2 (17-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-17, 15-11) in the finale of the Cavalier Classic. The last time the Pirates won despite losing the first two sets was on Nov. 12, 2011 vs. St. John's.

NEARING .500
The resilient Pirates are inching their way back to .500 after a difficult start to their season. After beginning the year with losses in five of its first six matches, Seton Hall is now 5-6 entering BIG EAST play.

BIG EAST OPENERS
On Friday, Sept. 27, Seton Hall will open the BIG EAST portion of its 2013 schedule at St. John's. The Pirates are 10-16 all-time in conference openers, but have won their last two. In 2012, Seton Hall defeated Pittsburgh, 3-1, in Walsh Gym to open the BIG EAST slate.

TAMING THE TIGERS
Seton Hall earned its second straight victory over a New Jersey opponent and its first sweep of the season with a 3-0 win at Princeton on Sept. 17. The Pirates dominated holding the Tigers to just 15 and 16 points respectively in the first two sets. Defense was the key as four Pirates finished in double-figures in digs and the team combined for a total of 24 blocks.

GOING THE DISTANCE
Seton Hall is no stranger to long matches. Six of the Pirates' 11 matches so far this season have gone five sets. The Hall is 3-3 in those matches.

NEW CONFERENCE, SAME RESULT
Seton Hall edged their long-time, in-state rival Rutgers, 3-2, on Sept. 11. It was their first meeting as non-conference opponents since 1994. The Pirates won the first two sets, but had to rally in set five, down 13-11, to ensure the victory. Alyssa Warren had a match-high 22 digs. Stacey Manthorpe and Ashani Rubin combined for the final five Pirates' points of the match.

BLOCK PARTY
Ashani Rubin has been a force defensively so far in 2013. The junior leads the Pirates and ranks fourth in the BIG EAST with 1.17 blocks per set.

TRIPLE-DOUBLES GALORE
Junior Shelbey Manthorpe recorded her third triple-double of the season vs. Columbia on Sept. 21. She now has 15 in her impressive career. Last year, Manthorpe led the nation with eight triple-doubles. Prior to her arrival in South Orange, no player in Seton Hall history had recorded a single triple-double.

M.A.S.H. UNIT
The Pirates have been battling injuries since the start of the season, which has contributed to their sub-500 start. Both Molly Grammer and Simona Sekulova are battling knee injuries. Stacey Manthorpe has had a sore shoulder, while Kacey Richards has been playing with a back injury.

EFFICIENCY MATTERS
Seton Hall is 5-0 this season when it has a higher attack percentage than its opponent. The Pirates are 0-6 when their opponent has a higher attack percentage. Shelbey Manthorpe is currently leading the team with a .343 attack percentage, which ranks her eighth in the BIG EAST.

SHELBEY ALL-TOURNAMENT AGAIN
Shelbey Manthorpe was named to the Yale University All-Tournament Team. The junior had a triple-double vs. Colgate in the opener and a double-double at Yale.

SAME OLD TRICKS
The reigning BIG EAST Libero of the Year is again leading Seton Hall in digs and digs per set and currently ranks fourth in the BIG EAST with 4.51 digs per set. She was the first Libero of the Year in Seton Hall history and is vying to be a repeat winner.

U.S. MILITARY ACADEMY TOURNAMENT
Seton Hall opened the 2013 season at the U.S. Military Academy Tournament. The Pirates went 1-2 with a victory over Army and losses to Alabama and Washington State. All three matches were close. Washington State won the event, defeating Alabama in the championship game.

SHELBEY ALL-TOURNAMENT
Sophomore Shelbey Manthorpe was the lone Seton Hall representative on the U.S. Military Academy All-Tournament Team. She averaged 8.43 assists, 2.93 digs and 1.57 kills per set during the event.

KILLER KOHLER
Kayla Kohler opened the 2013 season in a big way. The sophomore led Seton Hall with a career-high 14 kills vs. Alabama on Aug. 30. She also sported an impressive .379 attack percentage.

DIGGING DEEP
Sophomore Sara Connell recorded a career-high 15 digs in Seton Hall's victory over Army on Aug. 31.

OFFENSIVE FORCE
With Stacey Manthorpe hampered by a shoulder injury and Simona Sekulova and Molly Grammer sidelined with knee injuries, sophomore Amanda Hansen has picked up the offensive slack. Hansen led Seton Hall in kills in two of the season's first three games, recording 12 kills at Army and a season-high 13 kills vs. Washington State.

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 69 in their career.

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.

NINE-TEAM CONFERENCE
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.

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.

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.