Volleyball Hosts Marquette & DePaul This Weekend
11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2014
MARQUETTE (22-6, 12-3) at SETON HALL (23-6, 11-3)
Walsh Gym - South Orange, N.J.
7:00 p.m. ET
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Live Stats:
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
DE PAUL (3-24, 1-14) at SETON HALL (23-6, 11-3)
Walsh Gym - South Orange, N.J.
5:00 p.m. ET
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Live Stats:
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PREVIEW
Seton Hall brings a four-match winning streak into its final home weekend of the season. The Pirates will host defending champion Marquette on Friday at 7:00 p.m. and DePaul on Senior Day, Saturday at 5:00 p.m.
The Pirates played only once last week, but earned a convincing win. Seton Hall committed just four attack errors as it swept Villanova, 3-0 (25-16, 25-, 25-15), in a dominant effort on Saturday for its fourth straight victory. The Pirates tallied 38 kills with just the aforementioned four attack errors for a .370 attack percentage for the match. Meanwhile, the Pirates' defense, one of the top units in the nation, held the Wildcats to just .055 and forced 23 attack errors. Senior Shelbey Manthorpe (Merion Station, Pa.) registered her 13th double-double of the season with a match-high 29 assists to go with 13 digs.
On Friday, Seton Hall will host Marquette with major playoff implications on the line. If Seton Hall wins, it will clinch a berth in the BIG EAST Tournament for the first time since 2011. The Pirates haven't defeated the Golden Eagles since 2009. Earlier this year, Marquette set an NCAA record for most points in a four-set match with a 3-1 (32-34, 25-20, 25-23, 35-33) victory over The Hall on Oct. 18 in Milwaukee. The Golden Eagles enter this weekend having won six straight matches. Most recently, they swept Providence, 3-0, on Saturday. On Saturday, Seton Hall will play its final home match of the season and will honor six graduating seniors in a ceremony afterward. The Hall will host DePaul. The Blue Demons have fallen on hard times in 2014, having lost their last 13 matches including a 3-0 sweep at the hands of Seton Hall on Oct. 17. After the contest, Seton Hall will celebrate the careers of Sam Duncan, Jamie Froning, Shelbey Manthorpe, Stacey Manthorpe, Ashani Rubin and Simona Sekulova.
TOP SETON HALL NOTES
PLAYOFF PICTURE
The top four teams in the BIG EAST will advance to play for the conference title in Milwaukee, Wis., Nov. 28-29. Creighton is currently 13-1 and a two games ahead of the Pirates. Marquette is second at 12-3. Butler is currently fourth at 10-5. Xavier is on the outside looking in at 9-6. The Pirates will clinch with their next victory and a Xavier loss. Seton Hall owns the head-to-head tie-breaker over the Musketeers because it won more sets in their two meetings this season.
SWEEPING VILLANOVA
Seton Hall won its fourth straight match with a sweep of Villanova on Nov. 8. Shelbey Manthorpe had a double-double with 29 assists and 13 digs. The victory gives Seton Hall the season sweep of the Wildcats and extends their program record of BIG EAST victories to 11.
BIG ROAD WINS
Seton Hall registered a pair of huge road wins last week to solidify its standing among the top four in the BIG EAST. On Oct. 30, the Pirates defeated St. John's in Queens in four sets to sweep the season series. On Nov. 1, The Hall swept Providence in Rhode Island to take that series. The Pirates now have a 10-3 record and are tied for second in the BIG EAST.
RETURN TO SENDER
Seton Hall has established itself as one of the marquee defensive teams in the country. The Pirates lead the nation in total blocks (308) and 11th in opponents' hitting percentage (.149). Ashani Rubin ranks second in the nation in total blocks. Tessa Fournier is 12th in the nation in total digs. Both Rubin and Fournier lead the BIG EAST Conference in those respective categories.
20 WIN SEASON
Their victory over LIU-Brooklyn was the Pirates' 20th of the season. It's only Seton Hall's fifth 20-win season in program history. Their 23 wins are the most since 1994.
