Pirates lose both games of their doubleheader on Saturday

Date: August 31, 2019

By: Rich Behan

The Pirates dropped both of their contests this Saturday, losing in straight sets to both Quinnipiac (19-25, 18-25, 21-25) and Towson (15-25, 24-26, 22-25). They leave Baltimore, Md., and the Morgan State Invitational 0-3, after the five-set loss Friday night against Morgan State.

In match one against Quinnipiac, seniors Haylee Gasser and Maggie Cvelbar did their part to help The Hall. Gasser recorded a match-high 11 kills, while Cvelbar had a match-high 31 assists with six digs to boot.

She didn’t lead the team in digs, however, as freshman Raygan Murray recorded 12 for the Pirates. Amanda Rachwal also contributed for the Pirates with nine kills and four blocks. The Pirates led in every set of this match, but Quinnipiac came roaring back in each set with upwards of five straight points.

Match two saw the Pirates take on Towson, losing in straight sets once again. Haylee Gasser and Raygan Murray were again was prominent for the Hall, with Gasser collecting a team-high eight kills and Murray with a team-high 12 digs. Seton Hall received key contributions from different newcomers and returners alike in this match. Senior Madison Salkowski, coming off a season-ending injury a year ago, registered six kills and three blocks.

Freshman Grace Rosenberg stuffed the stat sheet, tallying a career-high 14 assists, along with four kills and four digs. The Pirates saw an increase in their attack percentage in match two, which was .112 compared to .085 in match one. However, it was no match for Towson’s attack percentage, which finished the match at .250.

The Pirates now have an 0-3 record on the young season, losing all three games at a neutral location. Quinnipiac is now 1-2 on the season, with all three games being played in this Morgan State Invitational. Towson boasts a 2-0 record in both their season and the tournament, with their third game being played tonight against Morgan State.

The Pirates are back in action next weekend, as they host a slew of opponents that include Northern Arizona, La Salle, Binghampton, and Northeastern in the Seton Hall Classic. The first game of the long weekend comes on Friday, September 6, as the Pirates take on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks (1-1) at 11 a.m., and the La Salle Explorers (1-1) at 7 p.m. Both games can be heard on WSOU.net.

Rich Behan can be reached at behanric@shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, WSOU, Volleyball