Pirates Open 2026 Season This Weekend in Walsh Gym

2026 SETON HALL CLASSIC
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2026 at 3:00 PM
SETON HALL (0-0) vs. ILLINOIS STATE (0-0)
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. | Walsh Gymnasium
LIVE VIDEO: ESPN+
LIVE AUDIO: WSOU FM
FOLLOW ALONG: StatBroadcast | Instagram | X (Twitter)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2026 at 3:00 PM
SETON HALL (0-0) vs. FDU (0-0)
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. | Walsh Gymnasium
LIVE VIDEO: YouTube
LIVE AUDIO: WSOU FM
FOLLOW ALONG: StatBroadcast | Instagram | X (Twitter)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2026 at 3:00 PM
SETON HALL (0-0) vs. NJIT (0-0)
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. | Walsh Gymnasium
LIVE VIDEO: YouTube
LIVE AUDIO: WSOU FM
FOLLOW ALONG: StatBroadcast | Instagram | X (Twitter)

WEEKLY STATS REPORT: SETON HALL
2026 BIG EAST STANDINGS
BIG EAST STATISTICAL LEADERS

PREVIEW
Seton Hall officially opens the 2026 regular season this weekend when it hosts the annual Seton Hall Volleyball Classic in Walsh Gymnasium. It's the first time since the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season that The Hall has started at home. The Pirates will open the new campaign against Illinois State on Friday, followed by FDU on Saturday and NJIT on Sunday. All three contests will begin at 3:00 p.m.

MEDIA
Seton Hall's contest against Illinois State will be broadcast live on ESPN+, while matches against FDU and NJIT this weekend will be on YouTube. All three matches will be covered by 89.5 FM WSOU and have Live Stats available.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE
Seton Hall and Illinois State will meet for the third time in history on Friday. The teams haven't met since a five-set victory for the Pirates at the Redbird Classic in 2017.

Illinois State head coach Allie Matters returns to Seton Hall for the first time since spending seven seasons as an assistant coach at Seton Hall. Prior to becoming a coach, Matters was a legendary player for the Pirates as a two-time All-BIG EAST selection. As a team, the Cardinals are coming off a 14-16 season in 2025, which included an 8-8 mark in Missouri Valley Conference play. Their season came to an end with a second-round five-set loss in the MVC Tournament.

This season, Illinois State was picked to finish sixth in the 11-team MVC according to the 2026 Preseason Coaches Poll. Junior opposite hitter Ruth Ziegler was named to the Missouri Valley All-Conference Team. The Cardinals return seven key student-athletes from last years' squad including Ziegler and Logan Grevengoed, the latter of which had 136 kills and 69 blocks last season, while also bringing back outside hitters Oliwia Caputa and Abby Reck who had 146 and 50 kills, respectively.

SCOUTING FDU
Seton Hall and FDU will continue their long history on Saturday. The Pirates own an 18-3 all-time series lead and have won the last 18 consecutive games. FDU's last victory in the series came in 1989.

The Knights are coming off an 18-12 season, which included an impressive 12-4 mark in Northeast Conference play. Their season came to an end with a five-set loss to No. 2 seeded Saint Francis in the NEC semifinals.

It's a new era for FDU as new head coach Amable Martinez was named to the post in January. The Knights are picked to finish second this season, according to the NEC preseason coaches' poll. Of the ten incoming players, FDU is bringing in several players with championship experience at the provincial, national, and collegiate levels. The class includes an All- American, a conference player of the year, and multiple all-region and all-conference selections.

SCOUTING NJIT
Seton Hall and NJIT will square off on Sunday in the Seton Hall Classic finale. The Pirates own a 9-2 all-time record against the Highlanders, but NJIT shocked The Hall with a four-set victory in last year's event in Walsh Gym. Seton Hall had won 14 consecutive sets against NJIT prior to last year's loss.

The Highlanders are coming off a 5-21 season in 2025, which included a 1-9 mark in the America East Conference. Ema Torres was named Second Team All-AEC, while Martina Gonzalo Cortes was named to the All-Rookie Team.

This season, Torres and Cortes return to bolster an NJIT squad that was picked to finish last according to the AEC preseason coaches' poll.

UP NEXT
After the Seton Hall Classic, the Pirates will take to the road for three matches of the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C., Sept. 4-6. The Hall will take on Jacksonville State on Friday, UNC Asheville on Saturday, and finally, Western Carolina on Sunday. All three matches will begin at 4:00 p.m.

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