Thelen Shines in Pirate Setback to Xavier

Saturday, September 22

South Orange, N.J.

7:00 PM

Seton Hall University

5-11, 0-3

Xavier

3-10, 1-1

Xavier

Seton Hall

9/22/2018 10:14:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score HOME INFO BOX SCORE

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Senior Abby Thelen (Ft. Mitchell, Ky.) had a match-high 19 kills and only one attack error, but the Seton Hall women's volleyball team fell to Xavier, 3-1 (25-14, 20-25, 20-25, 22-25), on Saturday.

Thelen offensive outburst was as efficient as it was impressive. She also had a team-best .529 attack percentage.

Senior Caitlin Koska (Franklin, Wis.) tallied a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs, while senior Sophia Coffey (Sierra Madre, Calif.) tallied a season-high 43 assists.

SET 1:
Seton Hall's defense made a statement in the opening set, holding Xavier to a -.029 attack percentage. The Pirates leapt out of the starting gate, scoring eight of the first 10 points, and never looked back. Xavier never led in the first set, despite cutting the Pirate lead to one point at 9-8. The Hall methodically grew its advantage until Thelen's kill gave it a 25-14 first set win. Thelen and freshman Emilee Turner (Kaysville, Utah) had three kills apiece in the opening frame.

SET 2:
Xavier bounced back in a similar fashion in set two, scoring four of the first five points, and ultimately, never trailing. Leading 12-10, the Musketeers went on a 6-1 run to take a commanding 18-11 advantage. They went on to even the match with a 25-20 set two victory.

SET 3:
With the score tied at seven in the pivotal third set, Xavier went on a 7-1 run to take a 14-8 lead. Three straight kills by Amanda Rachwal (Bethlehem, Pa.) cut the Musketeer lead to 18-16 and forced a Xavier timeout. The Musketeers rebounded however, and were able to hold on for a second consecutive 25-20 set triumph. Rachwal had five kills and no attack errors in the third set alone. The Pirates fell, despite having an incredible .462 attack percentage in the set.

SET 4:
The fourth set was close early with neither team taking a definitive advantage. With Seton Hall trailing late, Thelen caught fire. At one point, she recorded five straight kills for the Pirates, and her fifth in that sequence cut Seton Hall's deficit to only one, 21-20. A kill by Koska tied the set at 22, but Xavier answered with three straight points to end the set, 25-22, and match, 3-1. Thelen had eight kills, no attack errors and a .727 attack percentage in the final set.

Inside the Numbers:

Thelen had a match-high 19 kills, only one attack error, and a team-best .529 attack percentage.
Koska notched a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs.
Coffey tallied a season-high 43 assists to go with five digs.
Sophomore Elizabeth Sottung (Westfield, N.J.) led the Pirates for the first time with a career-high 16 digs to go with three assists.
Junior Haylee Gasser (Mission Viejo, Calif.) had a season-highs of nine kills and five digs. She also picked up a team-best four blocks.
Rachwal had seven kills and only one attack error.
Seton Hall recorded a .259 attack percentage for the match, while Xavier attacked at .225.
The Hall had 56 team kills, while the Musketeers had 52.
The Pirates totaled 56 team digs, while Xavier had 48.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall falls to 5-11 overall and 0-3 in the BIG EAST, while Xavier improves to 3-10 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
The Pirates are now 3-8 all-time against Xavier.
Today's match is the fifth time this season the Pirates have lost despite winning the first set. The Hall has actually won the first set in nine of its 16 matches this season.
The Pirates lost for the first time this season despite having a better attack percentage than their opponent. Seton Hall was 5-0 when having a higher mark prior to today. The last time the Pirates fell despite having a higher attack percentage was against George Washington on Sept. 2, 2016.
The Pirates fall to 1-5 in four-set matches.
Coffey reached the 40-assist mark for the first time this season and the 16^th time in her career.
With two blocks tonight, Thelen surpassed the 200 mark for her career.
Thelen reached the 15-kill mark for the sixth time this season and the 29^th time in her career.
Koska's double-double is her sixth of the season.

Up Next:
The Pirates will return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 26 when they travel to Washington, D.C. for a midweek match against Georgetown. Match time is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.