Pirates Sweep Host UCI to Cap Strong Opening Weekend

Saturday, August 26

Irvine, Calif. / Bren Events Center

8:00 PM

Seton Hall University

2-1,0-0Big East

UC Irvine

0-2,0-0Big West

Seton Hall

UC Irvine

Madeline Matheny celebrates after a point during the 2021 season.

Pirates Sweep Host UCI to Cap Strong Opening Weekend

8/26/2023 10:27:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score BOX SCORE - UCI (.pdf)

Madeline Matheny and Senna Roberts-Navarro were named to the All-Tournament Team.

IRVING, CALIF. – Three Pirates collected a double-double, led by graduate student Madeline Matheny (Wilmington, Del.) who had a match-high 16 kills to go with 13 rebounds and the Seton Hall women's volleyball team swept tournament host UC Irvine, 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 26-24), on Saturday.

The Pirates close out their season-opening weekend with a 2-1 record after victories over San Francisco and UC Irvine at the UCI Invitational. Matheny and freshman Senna Roberts-Navarro (Honolulu, Hi.) were named to the All-Tournament Team.

In the tournament finale, Matheny erupted for her fourth career double-double, but her first in well-over a year as she sat most of the 2022 season with a knee injury. Matheny had 16 kills, only two attack errors and a match-high .452 attack percentage.

The Pirates' setters also had strong matches, both collecting double-doubles. Maddie Klungel (Napa, Calif.) finished with team-highs of 22 assists, 17 digs and four blocks to go with six kills. Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) notched 16 assists and 12 kills. Also of note, Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) had 10 kills and only one attack error along with four blocks.

SET 1:
With the score tied at four, the Pirates scored five of the next six points to take a 9-5 advantage. A kill by Matheny grew the Pirates' lead to as many as eight points, 20-12. The Anteaters cut The Hall's deficit to 23-16, but a UC Irvine service error put The Hall in set point, and a Lucas kill gave the Pirates a 25-16 first-set win. Seton Hall had 19 kills and only two attack errors for a season-high .415 attack percentage in the opening frame.

SET 2:
The second set was back-and-forth early on, but trailing 13-12, The Hall scored six straight, and two consecutive kills by Roberts-Navarro gave it an 18-13 advantage. Leading 23-17, a block by Lucas and Asli Subasili (Tekirdag, Turkey) put The Hall in set point, and two points later, a kill by Matheny won set two for the Pirates, 25-18.

SET 3:
Although the Pirates led for the majority of the third set, neither team took a lead of greater than three points in the early goings. Trailing 17-15, UC Irvine scored four straight to take the lead and force a Seton Hall timeout. Down 21-18, it was the Pirates' turn to rally. The Hall scored four of the next five points to tie the score at 22. A kill by Matheny staved off an Anteaters' set point and tied the set at 24. A UCI attack error put The Hall in match point, and a Lucas kill handed the match to the Pirates, 26-24.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Matheny had a double-double with a team-high 16 kills and 13 digs. She only had two attack errors and a team-best .452 attack percentage.
Klungel had team-highs of 22 assists and 17 digs to go with four blocks and six kills.
Jakubowski tallied 16 assists and 12 digs.
Lucas notched 10 kills, only one attack error, a .333 attack percentage, four blocks and three digs.
Subasili had a team-high six blocks and five kills.
Junior Hanna Tulli (Collegeville, Pa.) had a career-high five blocks and four kills.
Freshman Rylee Nelson (Mazeppa, Minn.) finished just one assist shy of a double-double with 12 digs and nine assists.
Seton Hall recorded a .291 attack percentage for the match, while UC Irvine attacked at .152.
The Pirates had 50 kills, while the Anteaters recorded 42.
The Hall tallied 70 digs, while UC Irvine had 64.
Seton Hall recorded 1.0 blocks, while UC Irvine had 2.0.

NEWS & NOTES:

Seton Hall improves to 2-1 on the young season, while San Francisco falls to 0-2.
The Hall is now 1-1 all-time against UC Irvine.
Seton Hall's .415 attack percentage in the second set was a season-high. The Pirates had 19 kills and only two attack errors.
Seton Hall's .291 attack percentage for the match is a season-high.
The Hall's 11.0 team blocks is a season-high.
Matheny and Roberts-Navarro were named to the UCI Invitational All-Tournament Team.
All three of Seton Hall's matches so far this year have been three-set affairs.
Seton Hall had three players record a double-double for the first time since September 24, 2022 against Providence.
Matheny matched her career-high with 16 kills.
Jakubowski's double-double is her second of the season and the 37^th of her career.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to action on Thursday, Aug. 31 when it makes its 2023 home debut at Walsh Gymnasium to host the Seton Hall Classic. The Pirates will face local rival NJIT at 5:00 p.m.