Pirates Drop in Three Sets to Creighton

Published: Saturday, November 16, 2024

by Victor Lisboa

OMAHA, NEBRASKA - Although Seton Hall sophomore Senna Roberts-Navarro had an impressive performance with eight kills and no attack errors to follow, the Seton Hall volleyball team (11-15, 5-10) fell to the No. 5 Creighton Bluejays (24-2, 3-0) in three sets. They now fall to 2-8 on the road, and the loss officially breaks their three-game winning streak after previously prevailing over Providence, UConn, and Xavier. Additionally, the Pirates extended their losing streak against Creighton to 20 matches.

The tone and direction of this matchup was immediately felt at the start of the first set, as the Creighton Bluejays got off to a hot start; they scored the first seven of the set’s eight points. A kill by Roberts-Navarro halted them at a score of 11-5, but then the Bluejays went on a commanding tear, giving them a 16-6 advantage. The Pirates were able to go on small scoring runs afterwards, but Creighton ultimately won the first set with a 25-12 score and .423 attack percentage, showing just how aggressive they always are.

The story of the second set was a bit more promising for the Pirates. They were able to score, but much like the first set, had some trouble keeping up with the Bluejays when they took advantage. As they trailed 16-9, the Pirates got hot and went on a 6-1 run that cut the deficit to just two points. But the Bluejays responded quickly, closing the set out on an 8-1 run. Although the Pirates showed improvement from the first set, they only hit .167 in the second set, losing it 25-16.

In set three, the Pirates were not able to top their previous two sets, scoring only 10 points in this frame. Senna Roberts-Navarro’s kill did cut Seton Hall’s early deficit to 5-4, but subsequently, the Bluejays pursued another run of 15-1. This ultimately gave Creighton a commanding 20-5 advantage. While the Pirates did respond with five more points and four more kills to close out the set, their aggression at the end of the set was not enough to overcome the deficit. They dropped the third set 25-10.  

With only three more matches to go before the Big East Tournament/postseason play commences, the Seton Hall Pirates will look to build some momentum and get back into the win column on Sunday. The Pirates will remain on the road, traveling to Milwaukee to challenge another Big East rival, the Marquette Golden Eagles at 2:00 p.m Eastern time.  

Victor Lisboa can be reached at victor.lisboa@student.shu.edu. 

 

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