WSOU

Recap: Pirates Drop 3-0 Match vs. Butler

Date: October 24, 2021

By: Jimmy Bliss

Ilieva spikes the ball during a Seton Hall women's volleyball match against Butler.

Seton Hall Athletics

The Seton Hall women’s volleyball team battled hard but was ultimately swept by Butler, 3-0, on Saturday night. 

The Pirates started off hot in the first set, racing to a 6-2 lead over the Bulldogs. Butler battled back to tie the match at 11 points apiece and took the lead one point later. After a 7-0 run, the Bulldogs then took a 14-11 lead and stole the momentum.

After some back-and-forth points, Seton Hall found themselves in an 18-15 deficit. From there, Butler really took the first set by the scruff of the neck, outscoring Seton Hall 5-2 to take a 23-17 lead, eventually ending in a 25-23 win for the Bulldogs.

Seton Hall did not let the first set loss get to them, however. They scored the first two points of set number two, with kills from both Perri Lucas and Madeline Matheny. Both came down with authority and looked like rockets off their respective players’ hands.

Butler rallied to take a 5-2 lead, before a few back-and-forth points gave Butler a 9-8 lead. Butler went on a 6-2 run to give themselves a 15-10 lead midway through the set. The Pirates were not content just to roll over—with that being said, they scratched and clawed their way to trail by just one point, 20-19, after a Tsvetelina Ilieva kill.

This forced Butler to regroup and call a timeout, hoping to hold on to their previously larger lead. The Bulldogs were able to come together and score five of the next six points, downing the Pirates 25-20 in the second set.

Seton Hall had their backs against the wall in the third set. They knew if they lost this set, the match would be over, and Butler would win. So, they started the third set accordingly.

The Pirates scored the first three points in the third set, capped off by Matheny’s ace. At that moment, Walsh Gymnasium was electric, and everyone was on their feet cheering for their hometown Pirates. However, Butler came back with a vengeance, tying the match 3-3 in the blink of an eye. After a few back-and-forth rallies, Butler found themselves with a slight lead at 8-7.

Butler scored three straight points to stretch their lead ever so slightly to 11-7, putting pressure on Seton Hall. The Pirates called a timeout to adjust, and they worked temporarily. The Pirates scored two straight points before the Bulldogs scored three straight of their own to take a 15-11 advantage.

This forced Seton Hall to take their final timeout of the third set in order to make a final push for set three. From that moment forward, the match was back and forth until the very last point. Butler watched their lead disappeared on a few occasions, most notably at 22-22. But Butler was able to score two straight points and eventually win 25-23.

Seton Hall was led in kills by Ilieva with 10, alongside Lucas with six. Assists wise, Raygan Murray, Matheny and Cagla Bengi led the pack, contributing 16, seven and seven, respectively. 

As for Butler, their kill leaders were Melody Davidson with 12, Megan Sheridan with eight, and Amina Shackelford also with eight. Madison Friebel led the team in assists with 19, followed closely by Marissa McKelvey, who added 17.

Tune into WSOU Sports for information on the rest of the volleyball season, and don’t miss the next home match in Walsh Gymnasium on Friday, Nov. 5. Before this, the next road match will be on Friday, Oct. 29 at Villanova.

Jimmy Bliss can be reached at james.bliss@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, Volleyball, WSOU

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