Safian Impresses in Four-Set Setback to Washington St.

Saturday, September 13

Malkin Athletic Center / Cambridge, Mass.

4:00 PM

Seton Hall University

4-4,0-0Big East

Washington State

5-3,0-0WCC

Seton Hall

Washington St.

Daria Safian skies for a kill against Iona on Sept. 5.

Safian Impresses in Four-Set Setback to Washington St.

9/13/2025 11:02:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score BOX SCORE (.pdf)

CAMBRIDGE, MASS. – Freshman Daria Safian (Moscow, Russia) had a career-high 14 kills, but the Seton Hall women's volleyball team fell in four sets to Washington State, 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 21-25, 15-25), on Saturday.

The Hall outlasted the Cougars in an impressive first set, 25-23, but Washington State rallied to win the final three sets for the match victory. The Cougars had a .339 attack percentage for the match, the second-highest for a Seton Hall opponent this year. The Hall also struggled with Washington State's net play as the Cougars had 12.0 team blocks.

Safian had 14 kills to lead the Pirates. Senna Roberts-Navarro (Honolulu, Hi.) and Sadie Reich (Wantagh, N.Y.) had nine apiece. Reich nearly had a double-double, finishing with nine kills and nine digs.

Junior Rylee Nelson (Mazeppa, Minn.) had a team-high 12 digs.

Daria Safian with the monstrous kill to put the Pirates up two mid-way in Set 3.#HALLin 🏐🏴‍☠️🔵⚪ pic.twitter.com/DeUCtkHRVe
— Seton Hall Volleyball (@SHUVolley) September 13, 2025

SET 1:
Seton Hall never trailed in the opening set. With the score tied at one, the Pirates took the lead and never looked back. A service ace by Emilee Fuller (Louisville, Ky.) gave The Hall a commanding 16-8 advantage. A kill by Asli Subasili (Tekirdag, Turkiye) put The Hall in set point, 24-18, but the Pirates had to stave off a furious Washington State rally. The Cougars scored five straight points, forcing Seton Hall to burn both of its timeouts, but out of the second break, a block by Safian and Subasili ensured a 25-23 victory for The Hall.

SET 2:
As dominant as Seton Hall was in set one, Washington State was equally so in set two. The Cougars scored eight of the first 10 points to set the tone early. Back-to-back kills by Roberts-Navarro and Reich staved off a pair of Washington State set points, but ultimately, the Pirates fell, 25-18.

SET 3:
The third set was the closest of the match, featuring nine ties and three lead changes. A kill by Alex Rasmussen (Lincoln, Neb.) gave The Hall a 13-12 lead, but Washington State responded with six of the next eight points to grab an 18-15 advantage. A kill by Safian tied the set at 20, but the Cougars scored four straight to enter set point, 24-20. A WSU attack error delayed the Pirates' set loss, but they went on for a 25-21 victory.

SET 4:
Washington State had a .421 attack percentage, compared to just .000 for Seton Hall in the fourth set. The Cougars led wire-to-wire and scored the first six points prompting an early Pirates' timeout. The Pirates cut their deficit to 17-10, but WSU answered with three straight points to go up, 20-10. A pair of kills by Safian with the Cougars in match point brought the Pirates closer, but ultimately, they fell 25-15 in set four.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Safian had a career-high 14 kills with six attack errors and a .211 attack percentage.
Roberts-Navarro finished with nine kills, only three attack errors, four digs, two aces and two assists.
Reich narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with nine kills and nine digs.
Nelson had a team-high 12 digs.
Fuller had 15 assists, six digs, two aces and two kills.
Sophomore Gwen Adler (Barrington, Ill.) collected a team-high 18 assists to go with six digs and four kills.
Seton Hall recorded a .188 attack percentage for the match, while Washington State attacked at .339.
The Pirates finished with 49 team kills, while the Cougars had 52.
The Hall recorded 45 digs, while Washington State had 54.
Seton Hall collected 4.0 blocks and Washington State had 12.0.

NEWS & NOTES:

Seton Hall drops to 4-4 on the season, while Washington State improves to 5-3.
The Hall is now 0-2 all-time against the Cougars. This was the first meeting between the teams since 2013.
The Pirates fall to 1-4 in four-set matches so far this season.
Washington State's 12.0 blocks and 11 team aces are season-highs for a Seton Hall opponent.

UP NEXT:
The Pirates will return to action tomorrow when they continue play at the Harvard Invitational in Cambridge, Mass. The Hall will face host Harvard at 2:00 p.m. ET.