Pirates Sweep Kent State; Win Fairfield Invitational Title

Saturday, September 4

Fairfield Conn. / Alumni Hall

11:00 AM

Seton Hall University

3-3,0-0Big East

Kent State

3-4,0-0MAC

Seton Hall

Kent St.

Pirates Sweep Kent State; Win Fairfield Invitational Title

9/4/2021 1:47:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score HOME BOX SCORE (.pdf)

Rachwal, Lucas lead the way with 10 kills apiece. Holland had a match-high 24 digs.

FAIRFIELD, CONN. – Senior Amanda Rachwal (Bethlehem, Pa.) had 10 kills and five blocks as the Seton Hall women's volleyball team swept Kent State, 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-16), on Saturday to win the 2021 Fairfield Invitational.

The Pirates dropped only one set in route to victories over Fairfield, Hofstra and Kent State this weekend, claiming their first early-season non-conference tournament since 2016.

Rachwal and sophomore Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) tied for the team lead with 10 kills apiece. Rachwal also had a team-high five blocks, two digs and a service ace. Freshman Anna Holland (Waukesha, Wis.) had a match-high 24 digs, which also set a new career-high.

SET 1:
Seton Hall never trailed in the opening set, scoring four of the first five points, and didn't look back. Leading 12-8, the Pirates scored five of the next seven points, and a kill by Rachwal gave them a 17-10 advantage. Again, Kent State cut The Hall's lead to four, 19-15, but the Pirates finished the set with a 6-2 run. A kill by Lucas put the Pirates in set point, and another by Rachwal won it for them, 25-17.

SET 2:
The second set was the closest of the match with Kent State leading for much of the early going. Trailing 12-10, the Pirates went on a 6-2 run, and a service ace by Holland put them on top 16-14. The Hall led 23-21, but the Golden Flashes scored the next two points to tie the set at 23 and prompt a Pirate timeout. Out of the break however, the Pirates reassumed control. A kill by Madison Frusha (Huntsville, Texas) put The Hall in set point, and a block by Lucas and Rachwal gave it a 25-23 set two victory.

SET 3:
Seton Hall dominated the final set, scoring seven of the first nine points to set the tone early. Kent State cut their deficit to 8-5, but then the Pirates went on a 6-0 run to grab a commanding 14-5 advantage. The Pirate defense held Kent State to a -.059 attack percentage in the final set in route to an easy 25-16 final set victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Rachwal tied for the team lead with 10 kills to go with a team-high five blocks, two digs and a service ace.
Lucas tied for the team lead with 10 kills and had three blocks.
Holland tallied a match-high 24 digs, which was also a career-high to go with five service aces and three assists.
Sophomore Cagla Bengi (Bursa, Turkey) had a team-high 17 assists to go with seven digs.
Seton Hall recorded a .271 attack percentage for the match, while Kent State attacked at .089.
The Pirates had 42 kills, while the Golden Flashes recorded 30.
Seton Hall finished with 53 digs, while Kent State had 47.
The Pirates had 9.0 total blocks, while Kent State had 8.0.

NEWS & NOTES:

Seton Hall improves to an even 3-3 on the young season and a perfect 3-0 at the Fairfield Invitational, while Kent State drops to 3-4 overall and 0-3 in Fairfield.
The Pirates improve to 1-1 all-time against the Golden Flashes.
It's the first time Seton Hall has swept (3-0) a non-conference tournament since claiming the title of the Blue Raider Bash, hosted by Middle Tennessee State in 2016.
Seton Hall's three-set sweep is its second of the season.
Holland has now reached 20 digs in a single-match twice in her career.
With 10 kills today, Rachwal surpassed the 500-kill milestone for her career.
With 15 assists today, Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) surpassed the 400-assist milestone for her career.
Holland is the first Pirate to record five or more service aces in a single match since Sarah Kenneweg vs. Northwestern State on Aug. 26, 2017.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to action for a mid-week non-conference match on Tuesday, September 7 at Marist. Match time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.