Pirates Outlast Providence in Five Sets

Friday, March 5

South Orange, N.J.

5:00 PM

Seton Hall University

3-1,1-0Big East

Providence

2-1,0-1Big East

Providence

Seton Hall

3/5/2021 8:22:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score HOME BOX SCORE (.pdf)

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Freshman Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) recorded a team-high 15 kills and the Seton Hall women's volleyball team outlasted Providence, 3-2, in the BIG EAST opener for both teams on Friday in Walsh Gym.

Seton Hall prevailed for its third win in four matches this season in a back-and-forth match that saw it trail 1-0, but then lead, 2-1, before eventually winning in five sets.

Lucas finished with 15 kills, with only five attack errors, eight digs and two blocks. Classmate Tsvetelina Ilieva (Sofia, Bulgaria) also reached double-figures in kills, recording 11 to go with six digs, three blocks and two service aces. Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) had a team-high 43 assists to go with eight digs.

SET 1:
Providence never trailed in the opening set, although the Pirates made it close early. A kill by Lucas cut the Friar lead to 11-9, but Providence responded with an 8-1 run to take a commanding 19-10 advantage. With PC in set point, a kill by Julia Wilkins (Mason, Ohio) kept the Pirates alive, but ultimately, the Friars went on to win set one, 25-15.

SET 2:
The second set as a completely different story. In fact, it was the Pirates that never trailed in set two. Leading 8-7, The Hall went on a 10-3 run, that forced a pair of Providence timeouts, and gave it a commanding 18-10 lead. PC cut their deficit to 21-14, but the Pirates scored four of the final five points, and a block Emilee Turner (Kaysville, Utah) won it for Seton Hall, 25-15. After attacking at a paltry .087 in set one, the Pirates broke out with a .500 percentage in set two.

SET 3:
Set three was the closest of the match with neither team grabbing a lead greater than two points until late. With the score tied at 15, The Hall went on a 6-1 run, and block assists by Turner gave it a 21-16 advantage. The Friars cut their deficit to 23-20, but The Hall was able to hold on late. A block by Madison Frusha (Huntsville, Texas) put The Hall in set point, 24-20, and a Providence attack error won it for The Hall.

SET 4:
The fourth set featured 11 ties and six lead changes. Seton Hall opened the fourth set with six of the first seven points, forcing an early Providence timeout. Out of the break, PC caught fire and outscored the Pirates 6-2 to tie the score at eight. A kill by Lucas gave The Hall a 17-16 lead, but Providence answered with a 6-1 run to grab a 22-18 advantage. They went on to win the fourth set, 25-21, and force a decisive fifth set.

SET 5:
Seton Hall held Providence to a .000 attack percentage in the final set, but found itself down 4-0 at the start. After a timeout, the Pirates raced back to tie the score at four. With the score tied at six, the Pirates scored five of the next six points, to grab an 11-7 advantage. A Friars attack error put The Hall in match point, 14-9, and two points later, a kill by Wilkins won the match for the Pirates.

Inside the Numbers:

Lucas led The Hall with 15 kills to go with eight digs, three assists and two blocks.
Ilieva had 11 kills, six digs and three blocks.
Jakubowski notched 43 assists and eight digs.
Turner finished with nine kills and six blocks.
Wilkins had eight kills, no attack errors, and a team-best .800 attack percentage. She also had four service aces and six blocks.
Sophomore Raygan Murray (Rocky River, Ohio) had a match-high 19 digs.
Seton Hall recorded a .270 attack percentage for the match, while Providence attacked at .217.
The Pirates had 51 kills, while the Friars recorded 57.
The Hall finished with 48 digs, while Providence tallied 49.
The Pirates had 11.0 team blocks, while PC tallied 9.0.

News & Notes:

Seton Hall improves to 3-1 on the young season, while Providence falls to 2-1. This was the first BIG EAST contest of the season for both teams.
The Pirates improve to 19-16 all-time against the Friars and have won nine of the last 10 matches.
Jakubowski has now topped 40 assists in a single-match three times this season.
Lucas has now reached 15 kills in a match three times in four matches this season.
Seton Hall evens its record at 1-1 in five-set matches this season.

Up Next:
Seton Hall will return to action tomorrow when it again hosts Providence at Walsh Gymnasium. Match time is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET.