Balanced Effort Leads to Seton Hall Sweep at NJIT

Tuesday, September 21

Newark, N.J. / Wellness & Events Center

5:00 PM

Seton Hall University

8-6,0-0Big East

NJIT

1-12,0-0America East

Seton Hall

NJIT

9/21/2021 6:59:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score HOME BOX SCORE (.pdf)

NEWARK, N.J. – Junior Madeline Matheny (Wilmington, Del.) had a team-high nine kills and had a .571 hitting percentage, and the Seton Hall volleyball defense turned in 41 digs and eight blocks as the Pirates swept aside NJIT, 3-0, in their final tune-up before BIG EAST play Tuesday at the NJIT Wellness and Events Center.

In addition, the Pirates picked up six points on aces as freshman Jenna Walsh (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) posted a team and career high three aces.

SET 1:
Neither team led by more than two points in the early going with multiple lead changes. NJIT was leading 17-15 with the serve, but the Highlanders committed a service error to begin a string of The Hall scoring 10 of the next 11 points. Junior Julia Wilkins (Mason, Ohio) had three kills during the run, senior Madison Frusha (Huntsville, Texas) added two kills, and the Pirates clinched the set on an impressive block by Frusha and sophomore Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.)

SET 2:
The set was tied at 11-11, but back-to-back kills by Wilkins and Matheny gave the Pirates a 13-11 edge and seemingly put them in control. Lucas had a pair of kills mid-set, and a pair of NJIT errors led to a mini 5-1 run and a 20-14 lead. The Highlanders cut the deficit to three, 20-17, but graduate student Amanda Rachwal (Bethlehem, Pa.) came up big to stop the momentum with a kill and then an ace in successive plays. Matheny finished NJIT off with a monstrous attack that could not be returned.

SET 3:
NJIT led 5-4, but Rachwal picked up a kill to tie the game, and it was Walsh's turn to serve. She picked up a pair of aces while the Pirates built a 6-0 run to take a 10-5 lead. Matheny stopped a Highlanders run with back-to-back kills to give The Hall a 19-15 lead. Though NJIT cut that lead to one, 22-21, the Pirates got momentum back after a Highlanders service error and Walsh put the Pirates in the win column with an attack and ace in successive plays.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Matheny led the Pirates with nine kills and a .571 hitting percentage.
Setters Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) and Cagla Bengi (Bursa, Turkey) had 15 and 14 assists, respectively.
Walsh led the Pirates with three aces, all coming in the third set.
Freshman Anna Holland (Waukesha, Wis.) had a team-high 11 digs.
Frusha led The Hall with four blocks.
Seton Hall recorded a .198 attack percentage for the match, while NJIT attacked at .117.
The Pirates had 35 kills, while NJIT recorded 34.
Seton Hall finished with 41 digs, while the Highlanders had 46.
The Pirates had eight total blocks, while NJIT had seven.

NEWS & NOTES:

Seton Hall improves to 8-6 on the season, while NJIT falls to 1-12.
The Pirates are now 6-1 all-time against NJIT and have won five straight matches in the series.
Seton Hall improves to 5-4 this season in three-set matches.
With six kills today, Wilkins has surpassed the 300-kill milestone for her career.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to action on Friday, Sept. 24 when it opens BIG EAST Conference play at Connecticut. Match time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

The Pirates will host St. John's Sunday in the team's first home match in renovated Walsh Gymnasium. Match time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., and the match will air on the BIG EAST Digital Network on Flo Sports. Special Flo Sports subscription pricing is available to Seton Hall fans using this link.