Pirates Impress at No. 13 Penn State

Saturday, September 16

University Park, Pa. / Rec Hall

4:00 PM

Seton Hall University

6-4,0-0Big East

#13 Penn State

6-3,0-0Big Ten

Seton Hall

Penn St.

9/16/2023 7:12:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score BOX SCORE - PSU (.pdf)

Seton Hall takes a set from a ranked team for the first time in over two decades.

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. – Junior Jenna Walsh (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) had 12 kills and Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) had a double-double to fuel a spirited Seton Hall effort in a 3-1 (20-25, 25-20, 14-25, 19-25) loss at No. 13 Penn State on Saturday.

Seton Hall's second-set victory is its first over a ranked team in at least two decades.

Walsh had a team-high 12 kills to go with nine digs and two blocks. Bianca Bucciarelli (Carate Brianza, Italy) added 10 kills and four digs.

Jakubowski collected her seventh double-double of the season with 17 assists and 12 digs, while Maddie Klungel (Napa, Calif.) had another strong all-around match with 19 assists, seven digs, five kills and three blocks.

SET 1:
Seton Hall came ready for its clash with No. 13 Penn State and led for the majority of the first set. A kill by Klungel gave The Hall a four-point lead, 13-9. Trailing 19-17, Penn State scored three straight to take their first let of the set, 20-19, and forced a Pirates' timeout. Out of the break, a Nittany Lion service error tied the set at 20, but Penn State finished the first stanza with a 5-0 run.

SET 2:
With the score tied at 11 in the second set, The Hall scored four straight, and a kill by Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) gave it a 15-11 advantage. Penn State cut the Pirates' lead in half 21-19, but a kill by Bucciarelli and a service ace by Klungel put The Hall back up by four, 23-19. Penn State got one point back, but back-to-back blocks by the Pirates closed out a 25-20 victory. The Hall held the Nittany Lions to just an .098 attack percentage in the second set.

SET 3:
A Walsh kill gave The Hall the first point of the third set, but Penn State responded with a 9-0 run and never trailed again. A kill by Klungel cut Seton Hall's deficit to 10-7, but the Nittany Lions took off again, this time with an 8-2 run to grab a commanding 18-9 advantage. Penn State cruised to a 25-14 victory to take a 2-1 match lead.

SET 4:
A block by Hanna Tulli (Collegeville, Pa.) gave The Hall an early 3-1 lead, but Penn State scored five straight to take the lead and never trailed again. Back-to-back kills by Bucciarelli pulled Seton Hall even at 14, but the Nittany Lions scored five of the next six points to reclaim the lead. Another kill by Bucciarelli pulled the Pirates to within two points, 21-19, but Penn State closed out the match with four straight points.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Walsh had a team-high 12 kills to go with nine digs and two blocks.
Bucciarelli tallied 10 kills and four digs.
Klungel had a team-high 19 assists to go with seven digs, five kills and three blocks.
Jakubowski had a double-double with 17 assists and 12 digs.
Lucas notched nine kills, only two attack errors and a team-best .350 attack percentage.
Tulli had a career-high seven blocks.
Junior Anna Holland (Waukesha, Wis.) had a team-high 13 digs to go with seven assists.
Seton Hall recorded a .138 attack percentage for the match, while Penn State attacked at .211.
The Pirates had 44 kills, while the Nittany Lions had 52.
The Hall recorded 61 digs, while Penn State had 70.
Seton Hall collected 12.0 blocks and Penn State had 11.0.

NEWS & NOTES:

Seton Hall falls to 6-4 on the young season, while Penn State improves to 6-3.
The Hall falls to 0-4 all-time against Penn State, but won its first set in the series, snapping a 10-set losing streak against the Nittany Lions.
The Pirates fall to 1-2 in four-set matches this season.
Jakubowski's double-double is her sixth in a row, the seventh of the season and the team-leading 42^nd of her career.
With 13 digs today, Holland surpassed the 800-digs mark for her career.
The Pirates had more blocks in a match for the sixth time this season. They are 4-2 in those matches.

UP NEXT:
The Pirates will return to action tomorrow when it continues play at the Penn State Classic. The Hall will face UMBC at 1:00 p.m.