Koska, Pirates Sweep Xavier for Third Straight Win

Friday, October 6

Cincinnati, OH

7:00 PM

Seton Hall University

10-9, 4-2BIG EAST

Xavier

7-12, 2-4BIG EAST

Seton Hall

Xavier

10/6/2017 9:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score HOME INFO BOX SCORE

CINCINNATI, OHIO – Junior Caitlin Koska (Franklin, Wis.) recorded a season-high 14 kills as the Seton Hall women's volleyball team swept Xavier, 3-0 (25-21, 26-24, 25-23), on Friday for its third straight victory.

The victory improves Seton Hall to 4-2 in the BIG EAST, its best conference start through six matches since 2014.

SET 1:
Seton Hall had to come-from-behind in the first set after a slow start. Trailing, 11-6, the Pirates scored five straight, and a kill by Koska tied the score at 11. The Musketeers jumped ahead again, 19-17, but The Hall responded with four straight points to take the lead for good. Leading, 23-21, a kill by junior Abby Thelen (Ft. Mitchell, Ky.) put Seton Hall in set point, and a Xavier attack error put the stamp on a 25-21 first set victory. Thelen was brilliant in the first set, collecting seven kills.

SET 2:
In set two, the Pirates again played from behind early as Xavier scored five of the first six points. Trailing 6-2, The Hall went on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a pair of service aces by Catherine Cruz (San Antonio, Texas), to take an early 8-6 advantage. With the score tied at 10, the Pirates went on another 6-0 run, and a kill by Haylee Gasser (Mission Viejo, Calif.) put them in front, 16-10. This time however, the Musketeers answered with a 7-1 run to tie the set at 17. From there, the score would tie five more times as each team attempted to gain an advantage. With the score tied at 23, a kill by Thelen put the Pirates in set point, but Xavier was able to counter to tie the set at 24. A kill by Koska again inched The Hall closer to a set win, and this time, the ensuing kill by Sophia Coffey (Sierra Madre, Calif.) ended the set in Seton Hall's favor, 26-24.

SET 3:
Trailing 7-4 in the third set, the Pirates scored five straight to take a 9-7 advantage. With the score tied at 12, Xavier went on a 7-1 run to take a commanding 19-13 lead. A kill by Koska cut the Musketeer lead to two points, 22-20, and prompted a Xavier timeout. Out of the break, the Pirates kept the pressure on and scored five of the final six points of the match. Koska's 14^th kill of the night put The Hall in match point, and a block by Thelen ended set three in the Pirates' favor, 25-23.

Inside the Numbers:

Sophomore Maggie Cvelbar (Euclid, Ohio) had a double-double with 21 assists and 11 digs.
Thelen finished with 11 kills.
Senior Dominique Mason (Chicago, Ill.) had a team-high 13 digs.
Seton Hall recorded a .204 attack percentage for the match, while Xavier attacked at .162.
Seton Hall finished with 43 team kills, while Xavier had 46.
The Pirates totaled 63 team digs, while Xavier had 56.

News & Notes:

Cvelbar's double-double is her fourth of the season and the fifth of her career.
Seton Hall improves to 6-0 in matches when it has a higher attack percentage than its opponent.
Seton Hall improves to 4-6 in three-set matches this season.
Coffey played in her 80^th consecutive match, which leads all active Pirates.
The Pirates improve to 3-6 all-time against Xavier.

Up Next:
The Pirates will return to action tomorrow when they head to Indianapolis for a match at Butler. Match time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. ET.