Impressive Pirates Sweep Temple in Season-Opener

Friday, August 26

Philadelphia, Pa. / McGonigle Hall

12:00 PM

Seton Hall University

1-0,0-0Big East

Temple

0-1,0-0AAC

Seton Hall

Temple

8/26/2022 3:09:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score BOX SCORE - TU (.pdf)

Perri Lucas and Jenna Walsh combine for 22 kills while Maddie Klungel notches 38 assists.

PHILADELPHIA – Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) and Jenna Walsh (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) each registered 11 kills, while newcomer Maddie Klungel (Napa, Calif.) filled the stat sheet as the Seton Hall women's volleyball team swept Temple, 3-0 (25-14, 26-24, 26-24), to open the 2022 season on Friday.

The Pirates dominated the first set, but had to come back late in both sets, two and three, to pull out victories. Temple was in set point in each of the final two sets, but the gritty Pirates were able to rally.

Lucas finished with 11 kills and only two attack errors for an impressive .346 attack percentage. Meanwhile, Walsh was thrust into a larger offensive roll after Madeline Matheny (Wilmington, Del.) left early due to injury. Walsh had 11 kills, five digs and two blocks. Klungel erupted for a match-high 38 assists to go with five digs, four kills, three service aces and two blocks.

SET 1:
Seton Hall never trailed in the first set in route to a dominant 25-14 victory. The Pirates opened the frame with the first five points and extended its run to 8-1 on a kill by Walsh. After Temple cut their deficit to 11-5, The Hall scored five straight again, and a kill by Julia Wilkins (Mason, Ohio) gave the Pirates a commanding 16-5 advantage and forced Temple's second timeout. Temple went on a run late and cut The Hall's lead to seven, but the Pirates ended the set with five of the final seven points. The Hall had a .320 attack percentage in set one compared to just -.037 for Temple.

SET 2:
The second set was dramatically closer, but the result was ultimately the same. The Pirates fell into a 6-2 hole early, but rallied with a 6-1 run, and a kill by Bianca Bucciarelli (Carate Brianza, Italy) put them in front, 8-7. From there, neither team grabbed a lead of greater than three points. Trailing 24-23, the Pirates closed the set with three straight points. A Temple service error drew The Hall even, and an attack error by the Owls put it in set point. Lucas followed with a long kill that found the opposite corner for the 26-24 come-from-behind set two victory.

SET 3:
A kill by Asli Subasili (Tekirdag, Turkey) put The Hall in front, 9-8, in set three, but Temple responded with a 6-0 run to grab a 14-9 advantage. Down 15-10, the Pirates scored four straight and cut their deficit to one, 15-14, forcing an Owl timeout. With the score tied at 23, Temple entered set point for a second straight set on a kill by Jelena Prolic. Undeterred, the Pirates again closed out the set with three straight points. Back-to-back kills by Walsh put The Hall in match point, and a service ace by Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill.), won the match for the Pirates.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Klungel had a match-high 38 assists to go with five digs, four kills, three service aces and two blocks.
Lucas tallied 11 kills with only two attack error and a .346 attack percentage.
Walsh had 11 kills to go with five digs and two blocks.
Jennifer Giron (Benicia, Calif.) and Anna Holland (Waukesha, Wis.) tied for the match high with 10 digs apiece.
Subasili recorded a match-high five blocks in the first match of her collegiate career.
Seton Hall recorded a .298 attack percentage for the match, while Temple attacked at .117.
The Pirates had 45 kills, while Temple recorded 32.
The Hall tallied 42 digs, while the Owls recorded 36.
The Pirates had 9.0 total blocks, while Temple had 7.0.

NEWS & NOTES:

Seton Hall opens the season with a victory for the first time since 2020. The Hall is now 17-19 all-time in season-openers.
Shannon Thompson wins her first match as Seton Hall head coach.
The Pirates improve to 3-7 all-time against Temple, and have now won the last two meetings.
With four kills today, Reagan Hopp (Carmel, Ind.) surpassed the 100-kill milestone for her career.
Klungel's 38 assists are the most by a Pirate in a single game since Jakubowski tallied 43 against Providence during the COVID-shortened 2020 season.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to action tomorrow when it concludes play at the Temple Invitational with a match against Delaware. The contest will start at 5:00 p.m. ET.