Seton Hall Returns to Walsh to host Creighton, PC

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2016
CREIGHTON (16-6, 10-0) at
SETON HALL (11-13, 5-6)
Walsh Gymnasium – South Orange, N.J.
7:00 p.m. ET
FREE VIDEO | RADIO | LIVE STATS | TWITTER

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2016
PROVIDENCE (13-13, 1-9) at SETON HALL (11-13, 5-6)
Walsh Gymnasium – South Orange, N.J.
7:00 p.m. ET
FREE VIDEO | RADIO | LIVE STATS | TWITTER

PREVIEW
After four straight road matches, the Pirates will return to the friendly confines of Walsh Gymnasium this weekend with a pair of conference matches. The Hall will host BIG EAST defending champion Creighton on Friday, and Providence on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.

Last weekend, the Pirates split a pair of BIG EAST Conference road matches. Seton Hall fell at Xavier in four sets on Friday despite 20 kills from sophomore Abby Thelen and a career-high 15 from Dominique Mason. On Saturday, The Hall bounced back with a three-set sweep of Butler in Indianapolis. Thelen recorded a career-high 21 kills, while Sophia Coffey notched her fifth double-double of the season.

Creighton enters Friday's contest as one of the hottest teams in the country. The Bluejays are currently 16-6 overall and a perfect 10-0 in BIG EAST play, riding a 10-match win streak. With a pair of victories this weekend, it's possible the Bluejays will already be able to clinch a berth in the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament. Earlier this season, Creighton swept the Pirates in Omaha. Mason led The Hall with 10 kills, but The Hall hit just .093 as a team.

Providence enters this weekend on the other end of the BIG EAST spectrum. The Friars are currently 13-13 overall and 1-9 in the BIG EAST. They have lost their last two matches since defeating St. John's in Queens in four sets on Oct. 16. Two weeks ago, Seton Hall won at Providence in four sets. Thelen erupted for 20 kills, while Danielle Schroeder posted a season-high 18. The duo combined for just four attack errors as The Hall recorded a season-best .342 attack percentage.

SETON HALL NOTES
BINGO & PANCAKES
When you come out to see the Pirates this weekend, be sure to take part in a pair of fun promotions. On Friday when The Hall hosts Creighton, it will be another "Volleyball Bingo" night. Be sure to pick up your bingo card at the marketing table. The following night, while watching some pancake digs against Providence, enjoy some delicious pancakes and bacon FREE of charge! Both matches start at 7:00 p.m.

PIRATES SWEEP BUTLER
Seton Hall completed a season sweep of Butler on Saturday with a convincing three-set victory in Indianapolis. Sophomore Abby Thelen recorded a career-high 21 kills and classmate Sophia Coffey registered her fifth double-double of the season.

ANOTHER HONOR ROLL FOR THELEN
Sophomore Abby Thelen was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday for the second straight week. She matched her career-high with 20 kills to go with eight digs and three blocks at Xavier on Friday. Thelen followed that strong performance with a career-high 21 kills, in only three sets, in the victory at Butler on Saturday.

41 IN LESS THAN 48
Abby Thelen had 20 kills at Xavier on Oct. 21 and 21 kills at Butler on Oct. 22. Her 41 kills over two consecutive days are the most by a Pirate since Stacey Manthorpe had 41 on Nov. 14 (19) and Nov. 15, 2014 (22).

MOST KILLS IN A THREE-SET MATCH
Abby Thelen's career-high 21 kills at Butler on Oct. 22 are the most kills by any BIG EAST player in a single conference three-set match this season. Furthermore, it's the most kills in a three-set match for a Pirate since Katherine Whitney had 22 in a three-set loss at Manhattan on Nov. 5, 2003.

FOURNIER NOTCHES 2,000TH
With 22 digs at Butler on Saturday, senior Tessa Fournier became only the second player in Seton Hall history to amass 2,000 career digs. Only Alyssa Warren has more career digs with 2,381.

NEW SHU PIRATES APP
Seton Hall Athletics and SIDEARM Sports have launched the new SHU Pirates App that delivers news and content about all 14 varsity programs to fans via their smartphones. The app is available to download for FREE on both the Apple App Store for iOS devices and the Google Play store for Android devices.

SCHROEDER ENTERS TOP-10
With nine kills at Butler on Saturday, senior Danielle Schroeder passed former Pirate Laura Romeika for 10th on Seton Hall's career kills list. She is currently only 35 kills away from 1,000 for her career.

PLAYOFF PICTURE
The top four teams in the final regular season standings will qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament in Indianapolis. With five or six games remaining for each team, Creighton (10-0), Marquette (8-3), Xavier (7-4) and Villanova (6-5) currently occupy those spots. However, DePaul is just a half game behind Villanova at 6-4, and both Seton Hall and Butler are only 1.5 games behind at 5-6.

FOURNIER NAMED "CLASS" CANDIDATE
Senior Tessa Fournier was one of only 30 student-athletes nationwide to be named a candidate for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

FOURNIER PASSES MATTERS
With 25 digs against Marquette on Oct. 8, senior Tessa Fournier passed former Pirate and current assistant coach Allie Matters for second on the Seton Hall career digs list. Former teammate Alyssa Warren is the Pirates' all-time leader with 2,381.

COFFEY MOVES INTO EIGHTH
With 43 assists vs. Butler on Sept. 23, sophomore Sophia Coffey moved past former Pirate Nichole Bushroe for eighth on the all-time list. She needs 393 more to pass Beata Jastrzembski for seventh on the list.

FREE PIRATES SPORTS NETWORK
For the first time ever, all live events on the Pirates Sports Network (PSN) will be carried free of charge on SHUpirates.com. You can now see all home volleyball contests live from Walsh Gym in 2016 for free.