The Hall Opens BIG EAST Play with UConn, Providence

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Walsh Gymnasium

SETON HALL (9-3, 0-0) vs. CONNECTICUT (6-5, 0-0)
Date	Time	Live Video	Live Audio	Live Stats	Twitter
Friday, Sept. 23	6:00 PM				@SHUVolley

SETON HALL (9-3, 0-0) vs. PROVIDENCE (8-4, 0-0)
Date	Time	Live Video	Live Audio	Live Stats	Twitter
Sat., Sept. 24	6:00 PM				@SHUVolley

PREVIEW
Seton Hall will return to action this weekend when it opens the BIG EAST portion of its schedule at Walsh Gymnasium. The Pirates will host Connecticut on Friday and Providence on Saturday. Both contests are scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.

MEDIA
Both matches this weekend will be streamed live by the Pirate Sports Network and shown on FloSports. WSOU FM will also cover both contests and both will be available via Live Stats.

PROMOTION
We'll have a Housing & Residence Life Challenge!! Students can swipe in for a chance to win a Pizza Party for their residence hall floor!

LAST WEEK
Seton Hall rounded out the non-conference schedule in impressive fashion last weekend with three victories at their own Seton Hall Classic. Sophomore Jenna Walsh (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) and junior Bianca Bucciarelli (Carate Brianza, Italy) combined for 24 kills and only four attack errors as the Pirates swept Central Connecticut State, 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-17), on Friday to open the tournament. Walsh led The Hall with 13 kills, only four attack errors and a team-high .429 attack percentage. Bucciarelli was had 11 kills and no attack errors with an attack percentage of .393. She also added six digs and three blocks in a strong all-around effort.

Junior Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) matched her career-high with 19 kills and both Walsh and Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) had double-doubles as the Pirates downed Dartmouth, 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 23-25, 26-24), on Saturday. After falling in the third set, the Pirates found themselves in a 23-15 hole in the fourth quarter, but ended the match with a thrilling 11-1 run. Lucas had one of the best matches of her career with 19 kills, only four attack errors and a .349 attack percentage.

Lucas, Bucciarelli and Walsh all reached double-digits in kills as the Pirates swept NJIT, 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-21), to claim the Seton Hall Classic title in the finale on Saturday. Lucas led all players with 13 kills to go with only one attack error and a .667 attack percentage. Bucciarelli had 10 kills, only two attack errors, four digs and two blocks. Walsh was named to the All-Tournament team and had 10 kills and only three attack errors against NJIT.

SCOUTING CONNECTICUT
Seton Hall and Connecticut will meet for the 34^th time in history on Friday. The Huskies own a 21-12 lead in the all-time series. Since UConn re-joined the BIG EAST, the Pirates are 1-4 against them. Last year, the teams split the season series. The Hall was swept at Gampel Pavilion, but upset the Huskies in four sets in Walsh Gym. That victory snapped a four-match losing streak to them.

Connecticut is coming off a highly-successful 2021 campaign that saw a final overall record of 24-11 and a BIG EAST mark of 13-5. The Huskies qualified for the BIG EAST Tournament, but were swept in the semifinals by Marquette. They accepted an invitation to the National Invitational Volleyball Championships and won three matches before falling to Valparaiso in the NIVC Final Four.

This year, Connecticut was picked to finish fourth in the 11-team BIG EAST Conference according to the preseason coaches' poll. Graduate student Caylee Parker was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. In addition to Parker, the Huskies return most of their team, including senior libero Karly Berkland and another talented hitter, Jasmine Davis. Their lone significant loss was last year's BIG EAST Setter of the Year, McKayla Wuensch.

The Huskies enter the start of BIG EAST play following a 6-5 non-conference effort which featured a number of talented opponents, including No. 20 Penn State, No. 20 Kansas, San Diego and Utah. They've won four straight matches overall after winning three matches last weekend at their own Dog Pound Challenge.

SCOUTING PROVIDENCE
Seton Hall and Providence will meet for the 39^th time in history on Saturday. The Hall owns a slim 20-18 all-time series lead. The teams have split the season series in each of the last three seasons, including last year. The Hall outlasted Providence in five sets at Walsh Gym, but was swept at Alumni Hall later in the year.

Providence is coming off a 16-15 season in 2021, which featured a 4-14 mark in BIG EAST play. After losing seven straight matches, the Friars closed the season with a three-set sweep of the Pirates on Nov. 21. Providence finished the season in 10^th place, two games behind The Hall.

This year, Providence was picked to finish in a tie for ninth in the 11-team BIG EAST Conference with Georgetown according to the preseason coaches' poll. Sophomore Shaliyah Rhoden was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. In addition to Rhoden, the Friars return 2020 All-BIG EAST Teamer Emma Nelson and libero Mackenzie Taylor. Providence did lose Alison Barber, however, an All-BIG EAST setter.

Providence enters this weekend following an 8-4 mark in non-conference play. After losing just one set in three victories at their own Friar Classic two weeks ago, Providence dropped two of three matches last weekend at the Penn Invitational. The Friars lost in five sets to both Temple and George Washington before sweeping host Penn in the event's finale. Providence currently leads the BIG EAST with 2.15 service aces per set and ranks second with 16.98 digs per set.

UP NEXT
Next weekend, Seton Hall will return to the road for a pair of matches. The Hall will travel to Washington, D.C. on Friday for a match at Georgetown. On Sunday, the Pirates will visit Villanova. Both matches will streamed live and shown on FloSports.