SHU Beats Rutgers to Sweep Seton Hall Classic

Date: September 2, 2017

By: Chris Russo

The Seton Hall volleyball team edged in-state rivals Rutgers three sets to one on Saturday night inside Walsh Gymnasium.

The Pirates certainly played well enough to earn their fourth win, but their performance was not necessarily the focal point of the game. First off, Rutgers played well in spurts, but they handed Seton Hall plenty of points. The Scarlet Knights recorded 17 service errors, 12 more than the Pirates did.

The Scarlet Knights also failed to keep a hold on the momentum of the game. They dominated the first set, winning by a score of 25-19, but they would not win another set in the match. SHU won the second set handily, 25-18, and had a 24-19 lead in the third set, but Rutgers was strong following their timeout. The set was a back-and-forth affair, and SHU took it 29-27.

Once again, Rutgers could not turn a late rally into momentum or a lead. After the blockbuster third set, it was all SHU in the fourth set, locking up the match with a 25-18 victory.

In fairness to Seton Hall, head coach Allison Yeager managed the game quite well, incorporating more of the team's young players, including Amanda Rachwal, Catherine Cruz, and Madison Salkowski.

"For the first time in a long time, we have a lot of depth on this team," Head Coach Allison Yaeger said after the match. "We don't recruit anybody just to put them on the bench."

One of the bigger contributors for the Pirates was senior Sarah Kenneweg. Rutgers did a good job, in the words of Yogi Berra, "Hitting them where they ain't," and Kenneweg ran long distances to record some major digs, 19 in all.

"Energy is everything in volleyball," senior Sarah Kenneweg said referencing the burst of energy she and junior Sophia Coffey gave late in the match. "Volleyball is a game of momentum, and when you have energy, you gain the momentum back."

The Pirates will hit the floor next on Wednesday as they will take on the Princeton Tigers.

 

Chris Russo can be reached at chrisrusso98@gmail.com.

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