Pirates Face Trio at Fairfield Invitational This Weekend

FAIRFIELD INVITATIONAL
FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT - Alumni Hall

SETON HALL (0-3) at FAIRFIELD (0-3)
Date	Time	Live Video	Live Audio	Live Stats	Twitter
Friday, Sept. 3	12:30 PM	Stags Sports Network	None	LIVE STATS	@SHUVolley

SETON HALL (0-3) vs. HOFSTRA (2-2)
Date	Time	Live Video	Live Audio	Live Stats	Twitter
Friday, Sept. 3	4:30 PM	Stags Sports Network	None	LIVE STATS	@SHUVolley

SETON HALL (0-3) vs. KENT STATE (3-1)
Date	Time	Live Video	Live Audio	Live Stats	Twitter
Sat., Sept. 4	11:00 AM	Stags Sports Network	None	LIVE STATS	@SHUVolley

PREVIEW
Seton Hall returns to the road for the second volleyball weekend of the season. The Pirates will play the Fairfield Invitational in nearby Fairfield, Conn. The Hall will take on host Fairfield on Friday at 12:30 p.m., before facing Hofstra at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, the Pirates will wrap up play with a contest against Kent State at 11:00 a.m.

MEDIA
All three contests this weekend will be available on the Stags Sports Network at www.FairfieldStags.com/Watch. Live stats will also be available.

LAST WEEKEND
The Pirates had a tough start to the season last weekend, falling to Weber State, North Dakota and Utah State at the Weber State / Utah State Invitational. The Pirates opened the season with a three-set loss to Weber State on Friday before dropping a four-set battle with the Fighting Hawks. On Saturday, they dropped their contest with Utah State in straight sets.

Sophomore Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) had a strong weekend, including a rare 20/20 match against North Dakota which she registered team-highs of 20 assists and 20 digs. Senior Emilee Turner (Kaysville, Utah) had a solid offensive tournament in her homecoming, leading The Hall with 2.86 kills per set. Junior Raygan Murray (Rocky River, Ohio) led the Pirates with 4.10 digs per contest last weekend.

SCOUTING FAIRFIELD
Seton Hall owns a 9-4 all-time series lead over the Stags, but the teams haven't played since a three-set sweep by the Pirates in 2008.

Fairfield is coming off a highly successful 2020 season, which finished with a MAAC regular season championship and a final record of 9-1. The Stags had earned the top seed in the MAAC Tournament, but were forced to withdraw due to a positive COVID-19 case within the program. Manuela Nicolini was named MAAC Co-Setter of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection.

This season, the Stags were chosen to repeat as MAAC champions, landing on the top of the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Three Stags, including Nicolini, were named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team. Middle Hitter Luci Albertson and outside hitter Joelle Battles joined Nicolini on the prestigious preseason team.

Like the Pirates, Fairfield has gotten off to a tough start this season having dropped their first three matches, although the competition was intense. Fairfield was swept by Hawaii, Texas A&M and BIG EAST foe Marquette at the Rainbow Wahine Classic last weekend.

SCOUTING HOFSTRA
Hofstra owns the lead in the all-time series against Seton Hall, having won nine of the previous 15 matches. Most recently, the Pride outlasted the Pirates in five sets last spring in Walsh Gymnasium. This will be the sixth time in the last seven years that the teams have played. Hofstra has won the last four matches in the series.

The Pride went 3-4 during the abbreviated spring season. After defeating the Pirates to improve to 3-0, Hofstra had a number of postponements and ultimately finished the odd season with four straight losses. Ana Martinovic was named to the All-CAA Second Team.

This season, the Pride were picked to finish in a sixth-place tie in the nine-team Colonial Athletic Association according to the Preseason Coaches' Poll. Martinovic was named a Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention.

Hofstra opened the 2021 campaign with losses in two of three matches last weekend, but like Fairfield, their competition was impressive. The Pride opened the season with a five-set victory over Central Connecticut State before being swept by Virginia and Maryland as part of the Maryland Invitational. Most recently, they defeated St. Francis (N.Y.) in four sets on Tuesday.

SCOUTING KENT STATE
Seton Hall and Kent State have met only once in their respective histories with the Golden Flashes besting the Pirates in straight sets in 1997.

Kent State is coming off a 12-9 season this past spring. The Golden Flashes started the year with wins in eight of their first nine matches, but they faded late in the year and finished with three straight losses. Setter Alex Haffner and outside hitter Savannah Matthews were named to the All-MAC Second Team.

Kent State was selected to finish second in the six-team East Division of the Mid-American Conference, according to the league coaches in the preseason poll. Both Haffner and Matthews were named to the Preseason All-MAC East Division Team.

The Golden Flashes opened the 2021 season last weekend with victories in two of three matches. After opening the season with a three-set loss to Evansville on Friday, they bounced back with a four-set win over SIUE and a five-set victory over Purdue-Fort Wayne on Saturday. Most recently, they defeated St. Francis (Pa.) in four sets on Tuesday.

UP NEXT
After the Fairfield Invitational, the Pirates will travel to Marist for a mid-week non-conference match on Tuesday, Sept. 7. The Hall will then stay local for the Big Apple Tournament, hosted by Columbia next weekend. The Pirates will play Iona on Friday, before clashing with St. Francis (N.Y.) and host Columbia on Saturday.