Seton Hall
Pirates Fight Hard to Five Set Win
Date: November 5, 2017By: Jalal Zahir
In one of the most thrilling game of the Pirates now dwindling season, the Seton Hall volleyball team managed to hold on to an important and impressive win over the Georgetown Hoyas in five sets.
The Pirates entered D.C the favorites with a record of 14-13 while the 7-18 Hoyas looked to defend home court and their pride Saturday night. The Pirates entered the match ranked fifth in the Big East, while the Hoyas were dead last. It was important for Seton Hall to march out of the nation's capital with a win as it would help their cause as they try and get into the top four in the BIG EAST standings.
On paper, the Pirates' depth should have overpowered the Hoyas. However, from the opening serve it was apparent this would be far from a walk in the park. A couple of errors from the Pirates and strong play from Georgetown kept the first set even as the game was tied 9-9 in the middle of the first set. The battle continued during the second half as the teams remained even all the way to 17-17. However, it was in the final minutes that Georgetown pulled ahead. Excellent serves from Georgetown's Kenzie Higareda coupled with multiple kills by Symone Speech gave the Hoyas the 25-20 set.
The second set saw a much calmer, cooler, and more collected Seton Hall team. They lead throughout the entire set as the Pirates' front line terrorized the opposing squad. The Pirates' duo of Caitlin Koska and Dominique Mason led the Pirates through multiple exciting rallies, frustrating the Hoyas' defense. The Hoyas, who functioned as a well-oiled machine in the first set, started show weaknesses in their defensive and offensive game, and the Pirates pounced on every opportunity. Seton Hall won that second set with a score of 25-17.
(PHOTO: SHU Athletics)
The third set had a more competitive start to, but it ultimately fell exactly as the second one did. Madison Salkowski started to make nose with a couple kills of her own early. Speech and Alyssa Sinnette were the Hoyas one-two punch as they had been for the most of the night. The set was tied at three apiece as the all-important third set looked like a toss-up between the two teams. Then, Seton Hall began to hit its stride. Like an Olympic runner finding their groove, the Pirates took control of the game quickly and dominantly as well. A pair of aces from Mason and Haylee Gasser set the tone for the Pirates as they looked like the better conditioned and more athletic team on the court. The Hoyas were their own worst enemy as multiple unforced errors put the set out of reach. Pirates took the set 25-17.
The Pirates had the momentum, talent, and energy to close out the Hoyas in the fourth set. Evidently enough no one gave Georgetown that memo. The Pirates and Hoyas were tied up at 3-3, and that was the last time the Pirates were close in that set. Sinette and Claire Mihm were too much for the Pirates to handle. Speech started to play like the best player on either team. She began racking up kills and at the end of the night had 29 to her name. The Hoyas took that fourth set at 25-18.
In the fifth and deciding set, the Pirates started with two quick points thanks to Sophia Coffey. The Hoyas countered with two of their own. Some exhilarating rallies commenced with Seton Hall winning nearly all of them. They had a 10-5 lead that was shortened to 10-8. The game could've went the Hoyas way, but Abby Thelen would not allow it. She had three kills during the final five points. Excellent defensive plays by Koska and Salkowski prevented the Hoyas from the opportunity to respond. The Pirates triumphantly conquered that final set as Abby Thelen played like the MVP leading her team with 17 kills overall as the Pirates improved to 15-13 on the year.
The Pirates return to action next Saturday in Queens, NY as they take on St. John's.
Jalal Zahir can be reached at jalal.zahir@student.shu.edu.
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