Matheny, Pirates Cap Perfect Weekend with UConn Sweep

Saturday, September 23

South Orange, N.J.

5:00 PM

Seton Hall University

8-5,2-0Big East

Connecticut

5-9,0-2Big East

UConn

Seton Hall

Madeline Matheny and her teammates celebrate after scoring a point against Providence on Sept. 22.

Matheny, Pirates Cap Perfect Weekend with UConn Sweep

9/23/2023 8:13:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score BOX SCORE - UConn (.pdf)

The Hall opens BIG EAST play with a pair of sweeps for the first time since 1994.

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Graduate student Madeline Matheny (Wilmington, Del.) collected a double-double, including a match-high 15 kills as the Seton Hall women's volleyball team swept Connecticut, 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 28-26), on Saturday.

The victory caps a perfect 6-for-6 in sets this weekend as The Hall begins BIG EAST play a perfect 2-0 for the second straight year. It's the first time since 1994, however, that The Hall has opened conference play with a pair of sweeps.

Matheny was brilliant with 15 kills, only four attack errors, a .355 attack percentage, 10 digs and two blocks.

Junior Maddie Klungel (Napa, Calif.) had a match-high 27 assists to go with five digs, three kills and three aces. Junior Anna Holland (Waukesha, Wis.) also had three aces along with a match-high 14 digs.

SET 1:
Seton Hall dominated the opening stanza, racing out of the gates to a 12-3 lead and forcing UConn to burn both of their timeouts early. Connecticut scored five of the next six points, however, to cut their deficit to 13-8. Ahead 15-10, The Hall scored four of the next five points, and back-to-back aces by Bianca Bucciarelli (Carate Brianza, Italy) gave it a commanding 19-11 advantage. The Pirates went on to a 25-16 first-set victory.

SET 2:
The Pirates led the second set wire-to-wire, getting off to another hot start with points in seven of the first nine rallies. Although they never took the lead, UConn kept the set close and cut their deficit to one, 15-14. The Hall responded with an 8-2 run, and an ace by Klungel gave it a commanding 23-16 advantage. A kill by Matheny put The Hall in set point, and two points later, another by Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) gave the Pirates a 25-18 win.

SET 3:
The Pirates had to work for their sweep as UConn led for most of the third set. The Hall trailed by as many as six points, 13-7, but rallied late. Facing a UConn set point down 24-22, back-to-back kills by Matheny and Lucas tied the set at 24 and forced a Huskies timeout. Connecticut then staved off two Seton Hall set points until the Pirates were able to get over the top with the score tied at 26. A kill by Hanna Tulli (Collegeville, Pa.) gave The Hall its third match point, but this time, a block by Klungel won the set for The Hall, 28-26.

No one hits harder than Perri Lucas. No one.

She puts away the second set here.#HALLin 🏐🏴‍☠️🔵⚪ pic.twitter.com/OACr8Pl0I0
— Seton Hall Volleyball (@SHUVolley) September 23, 2023

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Matheny had a match-high 15 kills, only four attack errors, a .355 attack percentage, 10 digs and two blocks.
Klungel finished with a match-high 27 assists, five digs, three kills and three aces.
Holland had a match-high 14 digs and three aces.
Lucas had seven kills, only one attack error, a .353 attack percentage and three blocks.
Tulli collected five kills, only one attack errors, a .333 attack percentage and three blocks.
Seton Hall recorded a .233 attack percentage for the match, while Connecticut attacked at .094.
The Pirates had 41 kills, while UConn had 31.
The Hall recorded 47 digs, while the Huskies had 49.
Seton Hall collected 6.0 blocks and UConn had 7.0.

Hooks up in Walsh Gymnasium!! Here's the final point of the night.

GREAT dig by Anna Holland!!

Maddie Klungel is a brick wall.#HALLin 🏐🏴‍☠️🔵⚪ pic.twitter.com/7TLAaiujpg
— Seton Hall Volleyball (@SHUVolley) September 23, 2023

NEWS & NOTES:

Seton Hall improves to 8-5 overall on the season and a perfect 2-0 in the BIG EAST, while Connecticut drops to 5-9 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
The Hall is now 14-21 all-time against the Huskies. It's the first time the Pirates have swept UConn since October 26, 1994.
The Pirates went 2-0 to start BIG EAST play last season, but they haven't started conference play with two sweeps since the 1994 season.
The Pirates improve to 7-1 in three-set matches this season.
Matheny's double-double is her second of the season and the fifth of her career.
It's the third time this season that Matheny has collected at least 15 kills.
Seton Hall improves to a perfect 8-0 this season when winning the first set.
The Pirates are now 8-0 this season when having a higher attack percentage than their opponent.
The Hall remains undefeated at historic Walsh Gymnasium this year, improving to 5-0.

UP NEXT:
The Pirates will return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 27 when it makes the short trip to Queens, N.Y. for a contest at St. John's. Match time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.