Pirates Lose to Providence in Five Set Thriller

Published: Friday, October 31, 2025

by Chris Heite

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -- The Seton Hall Pirates (6-16) fell to the Providence Friars (11-13) in a five-set match on Thursday evening.

The beginning of the match proved to be back and forth, with both sides trading multiple kills to start the first set. 

The Friars would then take advantage of momentum, and hold a multi point lead that extended to the back half of the inaugural set. Points were spread out evenly early, with Audry Kocon and Sophia Adkins of Providence leading the scoring. 

A bright spot for the Pirates came in the form of Daria Safian, who had a commanding four kills in the first set. Yet, it wasn’t enough for the Pirates at the beginning of this one. 

The Friars would go on to win the set 25-17, taking a 1-0 lead in the match. They capitalized early on the Pirates’ lack of blocking against the net, and never looked back. Although Providence has had their fair share of struggles this season, they certainly looked dominant at the beginning of the match. 

In the second set, Providence’s Kaia Easterbrook came alive early. Easterbrook was productive in the points department as well as adding blocking for the Friars. 

The Pirates would then go on to take a rather solid lead, which would be taken all the way up to the end of the set. The Friars were not going down without a fight, though, going on a run to tie the second set at 23.

The Hall did not let up, as they shut the door with a 25-23 victory in set two. Alex Rasmussen came into the picture with seven kills of her own.

Onto the third set, the Friars were in their first set form with plenty of aggressive spikes. Providence built on their work from early on and continued to apply the pressure throughout the rest of the way. 

The Hall faced match point on numerous occasions, but played rather well with their backs against the wall. However, the Friars prevailed and took a 2-1 lead in the match. Kocon continued to lead the way for Providence with 11 kills at the end of 3. 

At the beginning of the fourth set, the Pirates put their foot on the gas to take an early lead. Providence did not go on without answer, however, keeping the scoring pace with the Hall. 

Towards the end of the fourth set, the Friars would eventually tie the score at 17, marking a crucial moment in the match. Seton Hall wanted to play another set however, and pulled away with a thrilling 25-19 win, forcing a fateful fifth set.

The intensity was then at its peak. Back and forth action until the very end of this one, with Providence having a tiny lead throughout the entirety of the set.

The Friars would go on to win the match in a thrilling down to the wire point. Seton Hall simply could not get it done down the stretch. 

Safian finished with a whopping 20 kills on the day, showing her offensive prowess in the tough loss. Gwen Adler also had a fantastic 23 assists, solidifying her presence as a young contributor.

The Pirates will look to rebound when they take on the UConn Huskies on Saturday, November 1 at 5:00 P.M. where Jacob Nieczypor and Jack Pine will be on the call.

Chris Heite can be reached at christopher.heite@student.shu.edu 

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