Seton Hall
Volleyball splits second day of Hofstra Invitational
Date: September 16, 2018By Anthony Talarico
Seton Hall’s volleyball team took to Hempstead, NY this weekend for the Hofstra Invitational. Following a loss to Dartmouth on Friday, the Pirates split a pair of matches to wrap up their visit.
The Hall would have to take on both Columbia and Hofstra on Saturday. Dartmouth beat them in straight sets one day prior, so the Pirates looked to flip the script.
Seton Hall looked strong in their first outing of the day against Columbia. Taking the match 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-17), senior Caitlin Koska was a key component to their victory. Koska had a team-high 12 kills to go along with a team season-high attack percentage of .384.
Koska would also record seven digs, three service aces, and two blocks in the match. Even with an impressive start, the senior was just one piece of the puzzle. The team, as a whole, would see just 10 attack errors against Columbia. They also led 43-30 in kills and 37-26 in digs; an all-around effort.
There were two key takeaways from the match: the Pirates are 7-0 all-time against Columbia. Senior Abby Thelen moved into eighth place on the Seton Hall all-time kills list.
The Pirates were in position to put their second match of the day, against Hoftsra, away after decisively winning the first two sets. Unable to close out the match, Hofstra fought their way to a fifth-set victory (25-17, 25-19, 11-25, 13-25, 17-19).
Seton Hall had a few impressive stat lines despite just coming up short. Thelen imposed her veteran presence with 16 kills and five digs. Koska, who already shined against Columbia, kept her hot-streak alive with a 14-kill, 12-dig double-double. Another notable name was fellow Senior Miranda Higginbotham, who had a team-high 19 digs to compliment a seven-assist performance.
Where the Pirates excelled against Columbia, they struggled against the Pride. The Hall’s attack percentage went from, an earlier, .384 to a much-less impactful .225.
Although decided by a narrow margin, allowing Hofstra to fight back for a fifth set ultimately sealed their fate. What could have been a 2-1 weekend, goes down as 1-2 in the books.
The Pirates will look to turn things around when they return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at Villanova.
Anthony Talarico can be reached at anthony.talarico@student.shu.edu
Posted in: Sports, Volleyball, WSOU
