Pirates Visit Butler, Xavier this Weekend

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2025 at 7:00 PM
SETON HALL (6-13, 0-8) at BUTLER (9-12, 2-6)
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. | Hinkle Fieldhouse
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
FOLLOW ALONG: StatBroadcast | Instagram | X (Twitter)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2025 at 4:00 PM
SETON HALL (6-13, 0-8) at XAVIER (18-2, 7-1)
CINCINNATI, OHIO | Cintas Center
LIVE VIDEO: Xavier+
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WEEKLY STATS REPORT: SETON HALL
2025 BIG EAST STANDINGS
BIG EAST STATISTICAL LEADERS

PREVIEW
Seton Hall will return to the road for a pair of BIG EAST Conference matches this weekend. The Pirates will travel to Indianapolis, Ind. on Friday, Oct. 24 for a match at Butler at 7:00 p.m. The following day, The Hall will head to Cincinnati, Ohio for a match at Xavier. That one begins at 4:00 p.m. ET.

MEDIA
Seton Hall's match at Butler on Friday will be streamed live on ESPN+. It's match on Saturday at Xavier will be on Xavier+ at goXavier.com/watch. Both contests will have Live Stats.

LAST WEEKEND
Seton Hall dropped a pair of hard-fought BIG EAST Conference matches last week on the road at St. John's and Creighton. The Pirates took a set from St. John's in a four-set loss in Queens on Tuesday. On Sunday, The Hall seemed poised to take their first set off No. 13 Creighton after 58 consecutive setbacks, but ultimately fell, 25-21, in the opener. Despite a spirited effort from the Pirates, the Bluejays went on to sweep.

Daria Safian (Moscow, Russia) had a team-high 11 kills at St. John's on Tuesday, while Sadie Reich (Wantagh, N.Y.) finished a dig shy of a double-double. Junior Rylee Nelson (Mazeppa, Minn.) finished just two assists shy of her second career double-double. At Creighton on Sunday, Reich had a team-best eight kills.

SCOUTING BUTLER
Seton Hall and Butler will continue their rivalry on Friday. The Bulldogs own 15-7 all-time series lead and swept the 2024 home-and-home series. The Bulldogs won in four sets at Hinkle Fieldhouse and swept The Hall in Walsh Gym. Overall, Butler has won 12 of the last 14 matches in the series.

Butler is coming off a 7-23 season last year, which included a 5-13 mark in BIG EAST play. The Bulldogs had lost six in a row before finishing the season with a sweep of the Pirates in Walsh Gym.

This season, Butler was picked to finish ninth in the BIG EAST, according to the conference's preseason coaches' poll, one spot behind Seton Hall. The Bulldogs returned nine student-athletes from last year's team with Rylie Tam as the only senior on the team.

Butler enters the weekend with a 9-12 overall record and a 2-6 mark in BIG EAST play. Since conference play has begun, the Bulldogs have registered a sweep at home against Providence on Oct. 10 and a four-set win at DePaul on Friday. Butler's Alaleh Tolliver currently ranks fourth in the BIG EAST with 3.86 kills per set, while Lauren Evans is third in the conference with 4.23 digs per set.

SCOUTING XAVIER
Seton Hall and Xavier will continue their rivalry on Saturday. The Musketeers currently own a 17-5 all-time series lead and have won 11 of the last 13 matches. The Pirates surprised Xavier in their last meeting, however, sweeping the Musketeers at the Cintas Center. Xavier won in five sets last year in Walsh Gym.

Xavier is coming off a 10-18 season in 2024, which included an 8-10 mark in BIG EAST play. The Musketeers did not qualify for postseason play, and were swept in their final three matches to close the season. Margo Kemp was named BIG EAST Co-Freshman of the Year.

This season, Xavier was picked to finish seventh in the BIG EAST, according to the conference's preseason coaches' poll, one spot ahead of Seton Hall. Kemp was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Head Coach Christy Pfeffenberger returns 12 letter winners from last year's squad, nine of which saw significant playing time. Xavier returns 85 percent of its offensive output from last season, highlighted by Anna Taylor (292 kills) and Emma Grace (291 kills).

Xavier enters the weekend with a sparkling 18-2 overall record and a 7-1 mark in BIG EAST play. The Musketeers only conference loss so far this season came in a sweep at defending champion Creighton on Sept. 26. Since that loss, Xavier has won six straight, including an impressive five-set victory at Marquette on Friday, and most recently, a sweep at DePaul on Saturday.

UP NEXT
Next weekend, Seton Hall will return to historic Walsh Gymnasium for a pair of BIG EAST contests. The Pirates will host Providence on Halloween at 5:00 p.m. The following day, The Hall will welcome Connecticut to South Orange. Both matches are 5:00 p.m. starts.