Seton Hall starts home stand with 3-0 loss to Butler

Date: September 21, 2018

By Anthony Talarico

Seton Hall took on Butler University at home on Friday Night. Despite an impressive amount of hustle, the Pirates would be defeated in straight sets for their third-consecutive loss.

Arguably the biggest contributing factor to the Hall’s defeat was Butler’s tenacity on defense. The Pirates finished the match with 3 total team blocks, while the Bulldogs would finish with 9.5.

Seton Hall’s best chance at gaining an edge came in the second set. With a 23-19 lead, they were in position to even the series. Senior Caitlin Koska was leading the way as momentum seemed to favor her team. Despite their best efforts, the Hall could not put the set away. Butler fought their way back to win the second set, 26-24.

Down 0-2 on the night, the Pirates started the third and final set on a good note. The tide began to change when Seton Hall would miss consecutive shots wide, as well as commit a series of unforced errors. Too much to overcome, the Bulldogs would take the final set, and the match, 25-20.

In comparison, the Pirates only held the advantage in one category: 5-4 in aces. They were outscored in total points at 58.5-42.0, kills at 45-34 and blocks, 9-3. Butler also led in assists and digs, demonstrating their effort on defense which earned them the victory.

While the match didn’t go as they expected, Seton Hall had a few stand-out performances on Friday night. Koska was simply everywhere on the court; recording a team-high nine kills, one ace, and five digs. Imposing her will on both ends was freshman Emilee Turner. Turner had a team-high three blocks to go along with three aces.

“Butler is a good blocking team. We just had one too many points where we were a little bit too predictable. We have a lot of strong weapons. So, it’s just about doing a better job at isolating and winning crucial points. It’s tough, but Butler did a good job defensively.” said Assistant Coach Simone Asque after the match.

The Pirates have a short turnaround as they prepare for another home match on Saturday at 7 pm. This time against Xavier, Asque knows there are strong points that must carry over to the next night.

“Our serving was very strong. Our goal is to put that service pressure on them and make them uncomfortable. For us, we just need to get in rhythm.”

Anthony Talarico can be reached at anthony.talarico@student.shu.edu

Posted in: Sports, WSOU, Volleyball