Thelen, Pirates Sweep Niagara in Convincing Fashion

Saturday, August 25

Buffalo, N.Y.

10:00 AM

Seton Hall University

2-1

Niagara

0-3

Niagara

Seton Hall

Thelen, Pirates Sweep Niagara in Convincing Fashion

8/25/2018 11:53:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score HOME INFO BOX SCORE

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Senior Abby Thelen (Ft. Mitchell, Ky.) had a match-high 14 kills and only one attack error as the Seton Hall women's volleyball team swept Niagara, 3-0 (25-21, 25-11, 25-15), in the finale of the season-opening Blue & White Classic on Saturday.

The Pirates' offense was more efficient than it has been in nearly two seasons. Seton Hall had an attack percentage of .358 for the match, its highest since notching a .361 mark at DePaul on Nov. 13, 2016. Leading the way was Thelen, who had a .565 attack percentage and 14 kills. She narrowly missed recording her first double-double of the season, finishing with nine digs.

Sophomore Maggie Cvelbar (Euclid, Ohio) turned in her third straight strong effort, notching a double-double for the third time to start the year. The setter had match highs of 19 assists and 15 digs.

SET 1:
Niagara grabbed an early 4-2 lead in set one, but the Pirates countered with an 8-2 run that put them up 10-6. The Hall's lead methodically grew as the set progressed and a kill by Haylee Gasser (Mission Viejo, Calif.) extended its lead to eight points, 22-14. Niagara responded with six straight points to pull to within two, but the Pirates were able to hold off the Purple Raiders to win set one, 25-21. The Pirates' .273 attack percentage was a season-high for an individual set.

SET 2:
It didn't take long for the Pirates to take control in the second set. With the score tied at three, The Hall went on a 16-4 run, capped by a Thelen kill that gave it a commanding 19-7 lead. In their most dominant set of the year so far, the Pirates won, 25-11, which included 17 kills, only two attack errors and an impressive .517 attack percentage. Thelen had eight kills in set two alone.

SET 3:
Up two sets, the Pirates didn't let up in their quest for a sweep. With the score tied at two, Seton Hall reeled off five straight points, capped by an ace from Sophia Coffey (Sierra Madre, Calif.), which forced a Niagara timeout. The Pirates extended the run to 8-1, and a Thelen kill put them on top, 10-3. Another 8-2 spurt, highlighted by a pair of kills from Cherise Hennigan (Corona, Calif.), put Seton Hall firmly in control at 19-8. The Hall went on to win set three, 25-15, and complete the sweep.

Inside the Numbers:

Thelen had a match-high 14 kills, only one attack error, a .565 attack percentage and nine digs.
Cvelbar had match-highs of 19 assists and 15 digs.
Miranda Higginbotham (Dallas, Texas) had 13 digs.
Sophomore Elizabeth Sottung (Westfield, N.J.) played in all three sets, and tallied a career-high eight assists to go with four digs.
Seton Hall recorded a season-high .358 attack percentage for the match, while Niagara attacked at .132.
The Hall had 43 team kills, while Niagara had 30.
The Pirates totaled 59 team digs, while the Niagara had 35.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall improves to 2-1 on the young season. It defeated North Dakota State, but fell to Buffalo yesterday.
With 14 kills today, Thelen now has 988 for her career, which ranks 11^th most all-time at Seton Hall. She needs just 12 more to reach 1,000 for her career.
With the win, Seton Hall improves to a perfect 3-0 all-time against Niagara.
The victory is The Hall's first three-set sweep of the season.
Cvelbar's double-double is her third of the season and the 10^th in her career.
Coffey played in her 96^th consecutive match, which leads all active Pirates. She has not missed a match since arriving in South Orange prior to the 2015 season.
Freshman Claire Forrest (Pasadena, Calif.) made her collegiate debut and collected five kills, only one attack error and three digs.
For the first time this season, all 12 non-injured players on the roster saw action.

Up Next:
The Pirates will return to action on Friday, August 31 when it hosts Oklahoma, Pittsburgh and VCU as part of the Seton Hall Classic at Walsh Gym. The Hall will face VCU first at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.