Lucas, Klungel Erupt, but Pirates Fall at Fordham

Saturday, September 21

Bronx, N.Y. / Rose Hill Gym

4:30 PM

Seton Hall University

6-5,0-0Big East

Fordham

4-5,0-0Atlantic 10

Seton Hall

Fordham

Maddie Klungel tries to dig the ball against Sacred Heart on Sept. 6

9/21/2024 7:44:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score BOX SCORE (.pdf)

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Graduate student Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) had a season-high 17 kills, and Maddie Klungel (Napa, Calif.) added a career-high 50 assists, but the Seton Hall women's volleyball team lost at Fordham, 3-1 (20-25, 23-25, 25-23, 22-25), on Saturday.

The Hall completes non-conference play with a 6-5 record overall and begins BIG EAST Conference matches on Friday at St. John's.

Lucas finished with a season-high 17 kills. Klungel had a career-high 50 assists to go with nine digs and three aces. Reagan Merk (Huntington Beach, Calif.) tallied her fourth double-double in a row with 13 kills and 13 digs, while Senna Roberts-Navarro (Honolulu, Hawaii) collected 13 kills, only one attack error and nine digs.

SET 1:
Fordham led wire-to-wire in the opening set, taking advantage of an early 6-1 lead. A kill by Walsh cut The Hall's deficit to 11-10, but the Rams pulled away by scoring five of the next six points to extend their lead to 16-11. From there, Seton Hall wasn't able to get closer than a three-point deficit the rest of the way in route to a 25-20 setback.

SET 2:
The second set featured a remarkable 20 ties and 11 lead changes. A kill by Merk gave The Hall a 13-12 lead in set two, but the Rams responded with four straight points to grab a 16-13 advantage. The Pirates jumped back with four straight points of their own, and a kill by Roberts-Navarro gave them a 17-16 edge. Trailing 23-22, Fordham scored three in a row to steal the second set, 25-23, and take a two-set match lead. Fordham had a .480 attack percentage and only one attack error in set two.

SET 3:
The Rams scored the first four points of the third set, but the Pirates methodically battled back and eventually tied the set at 12 on a kill by Lucas. Trailing 18-16, The Hall scored three straight, and an ace by Klungel put it in front, 19-18, and forced a Fordham timeout. Down 23-22, The Hall reeled off three straight points, and an ace by Merk capped the rally for a 25-23 win.

SET 4:
Fordham scored five of the first six points in set four, but The Hall stormed back with an 11-2 run, and a kill by Hanna Tulli (Collegeville, Pa.) gave it a 12-7 advantage. Trailing 18-14, Fordham scored four straight to tie the set at 18. A kill by Lucas gave the Pirates a 22-21 lead, but Fordham rallied to score the last four points of the match. The Hall had a match-low .067 attack percentage in the final set.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Lucas had 17 kills, three blocks and a .307 attack percentage.
Klungel tallied a career-high 50 assists, nine digs and two kills.
Merk had 13 kills, 13 digs and three aces.
Roberts-Navarro had 13 kills, only one attack error, a .353 attack percentage, nine kills and two blocks.
Sophomore Rylee Nelson (Mazeppa, Minn.) had a team-high 15 digs.
Seton Hall recorded a .205 attack percentage for the match, while Fordham attacked at .246.
The Pirates had 60 kills, while Fordham had 50.
The Hall recorded 66 digs, while the Rams had 64.
Both teams had 8.0 team blocks.

NEWS & NOTES:

The Hall drops to 6-5 on the season, while Fordham improves to 4-5.
Seton Hall is now 20-5 all-time against the Rams.
Merk's double-double is her team-leading fifth of the season and her fourth in a row.
Seton Hall's last six matches have all been four-set affairs (4-2).
It's the first time this season that Seton Hall has lost despite having more kills and digs than its opponent.

UP NEXT:
The Pirates will return to action on Friday, September 27 when they make the short trip to Queens for their BIG EAST Conference opener at St. John's. Its start is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.