Pirates Open the 2022 Season at Temple Invitational

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PREVIEW
Seton Hall officially opens the 2022 regular season this weekend at the Temple Invitational. The Pirates will open the new campaign against host Temple on Friday, Aug. 26 at Noon. The Hall will conclude the brief tournament with a match against Delaware on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 5:00 p.m.

MEDIA
Friday's match will be streamed live on ESPN+. However, because Seton Hall's contest against Delaware on Saturday is a neutral contest, it will not have a video stream. Both matches will have Live Stats available.

NEW LOOK
Seton Hall officially enters a new era with head coach Shannon Thompson taking the helm. The UMass Boston Athletics Hall of Famer comes to the Pirates after two years as head coach at Canisius. She inherits a team with a number of new players as well.

Returning Pirates include offensive forces Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) and Madeline Matheny (Wilmington, Del.). Other returning impact players from a year ago include setter Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) and libero Anna Holland (Waukesha, Wis.).

There six newcomers joining the Pirates, including three transfers and three true freshmen. Bianca Bucciarelli (Carate Brianza, Italy) reunites with Matheny as she transfers from Hofstra. Maddie Klungel (Napa, Calif.) joins The Hall from Cal State Northridge, while Laila Wallace (Munster, Ind.) comes to South Orange by way of Radford University.

SCOUTING TEMPLE
Seton Hall and Temple will meet for the first time since the Pirates swept the Owls on Sept. 5, 2015 in Walsh Gym. The Owls have won seven of nine all-time meetings.

Temple is coming off a tough 7-24 season in 2021, which included a 3-17 mark in Atlantic 10 play. The Owls closed out the season with wins in two of their final three matches including a five-set victory over East Carolina to end the campaign.

Similar to the Pirates, the Owls enter this season with a new coach, Linda Hampton-Keith begins her first year at Temple after helping lead the Louisville program to the Final Four in 2021.

SCOUTING DELAWARE
It's been 13 years since Seton Hall and Delaware have squared off with the Blue Hens edging the Pirates, 3-2, in Newark. In eight all-time meetings, the series is tied at four wins apiece. Seton Hall won the first four meetings, but have lost the last four. The Pirates' most-recent win came in 1996.

The Blue Hens are coming off a 15-13 season in 2021, which included an 8-8 mark in Colonial Athletic Association play. Delaware closed its regular season hot with three straight sweeps before shutting out Northeastern in the quarterfinals of the CAA Tournament. Their season came to an end in the semifinals when they were swept by top-seeded Towson.

This season, Delaware is picked to finish in fourth place of the 11-team CAA, according to the Preseason Coaches' Poll. Senior Lani Mason was named to the Preseason All-CAA Team, while Ezgi Basaranlar was an Honorable Mention. Mason finished third in the CAA last year with 3.37 kills per set.

UP NEXT
After the Temple Invitational, the Pirates will make its 2022 Walsh Gym debut when they host Hofstra on Tuesday, Aug. 30 at 7:00 p.m. The Hall will host the Seton Hall Invitational next weekend when it welcomes George Mason, Akron and Iona to South Orange. The Pirates will face George Mason at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, they'll take on Akron at 12:30 p.m. followed by Iona at 7:00 p.m.