Thelen, Pirates Strike First, But Nova Rallies

Wednesday, September 19

Villanova, PA

7:00 PM

Seton Hall University

6-8, 1-0BIG EAST

Villanova

7-6, 0-1BIG EAST

Seton Hall

Villanova

9/19/2018 9:41:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score HOME INFO BOX SCORE

VILLANOVA, PA. – Senior Abby Thelen (Ft. Mitchell, Ky.) had a season-high 20 kills, and three other Pirates recorded double-doubles, but the Seton Hall women's volleyball team fell in four sets to Villanova, 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 20-25, 23-25), in the BIG EAST opener on Wednesday.

The Pirates came out of the gate strong, winning a close first set, but Villanova rallied for wins in the final three sets. All four sets were close with each team scoring in the 20s all four times.

Thelen finished with 20 kills and only two attack errors. Seniors Sophia Coffey (Sierra Madre, Calif.) and Caitlin Koska (Franklin, Wis.), as well as junior Maggie Cvelbar (Euclid, Ohio) all recorded double-doubles. Coffey had a team-high 26 assists and 10 digs. Koska had 13 kills and 13 digs, while Cvelbar tallied 21 assists and 13 digs.

SET 1:
With the set tied at four, Villanova scored five of the next six points to take an early 9-5 advantage. Trailing 11-7, the Pirates went on a 7-2 run, and back-to-back kills by Thelen gave them a 14-13 lead. The set remained close throughout, but the Wildcats inched ahead late, 23-22, to force a Seton Hall timeout. Out of the break however, The Hall scored the last three points of the set, the final two on Thelen kills, to triumph, 25-23. The epic set featured 13 ties and six lead changes.

SET 2:
Villanova came out of the gate in set two on fire offensively. The Wildcats scored four of the first five points, but the Pirates rallied to tie the set at six. From there, it was just as close as the first set until Villanova took control midway through. With the score tied at nine, the Wildcats scored five of the next six points to take a 14-10 lead. The Pirates couldn't get closer than a three-point deficit the rest of the set as Villanova went on to win, 25-21.

SET 3:
A kill by junior Haylee Gasser (Mission Viejo, Calif.) put the Pirates in front, 10-9, in set three, but Villanova responded with a 8-1 run to take a commanding 17-11 lead. Seton Hall however, bounced back with an 8-2 run of their own to tie the score at 19. The Wildcats rebounded to score six of the last seven points to win, 25-20, and take a 2-1 match lead.

SET 4:
The Pirates trailed 5-2, and had to take an early timeout, but out of the break, they caught fire offensively going on an 11-4 run to take a 13-9 lead. Trailing 15-10, Villanova scored four straight to cut the deficit to one. A kill by sophomore Amanda Rachwal (Bethlehem, Pa.) put The Hall back up by three, 18-15, but the set remained close. With the Pirates up, 21-18, Villanova scored four straight points to take a 22-21 lead. Two straight kills by Thelen put The Hall on top, 23-22, but the Wildcats scored the last three points of the set to claim a 25-23 set four victory.

Inside the Numbers:

Thelen finished with a team-best 20 kills, two attack errors and a .383 attack percentage.
Koska notched a double-double with 13 kills and 13 digs.
Coffey had a double-double with a team-high 26 assists and 10 digs.
Cvelbar had a double-double with 21 assists and 13 digs.
Rachwal had a career-high nine kills, only one attack error and a team-best four blocks.
Freshman Eden Dolezal (La Porte, Ind.) had a team-high 14 digs.
Seton Hall recorded a .217 attack percentage for the match, while Villanova attacked at .271.
The Hall had 57 team kills, while the Wildcats had 64.
The Pirates totaled 75 team digs, while Villanova had 71.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall falls to 5-9 overall on the season, while Villanova improves to 8-5.
The Pirates are now 16-27 all-time against Villanova.
A season-high five Pirates reached double-figures in digs.
The Pirates fall to 1-4 in four-set matches.
Thelen reached the 15-kill mark for the fifth time this season and the 28^th time in her career.
Koska's double-double is her fifth of the season.
Coffey notched the team-leading 33^rd double-double of her career and her second of the season.
Cvelbar's double-double is her eighth of the season and the 15^th in her career.
With 20 kills tonight, Thelen moved past former Pirate Kari Belin into seventh place on the Seton Hall career kills list. She now has 1,129.
With 47 attacks tonight, Thelen became the seventh player in Seton Hall history to reach 3,000 for her career.
With 26 assists tonight, Coffey passed former Pirate Oliva Trudeau into fifth place on Seton Hall's career list. She now has 2,832 for her career.
With 21 assists tonight, Cvelbar moved past former Pirate Nicole Harguindeguy into 10^th place on Seton Hall's career assists list. Currently, she has 1,187 assists.

Up Next:
The Pirates will return to action on Friday, Sept. 21 when they host BIG EAST rival Butler at Walsh Gym. Match time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.