Recap: Wilkins and the Pirates Can't Get it Done Against the Musketeers, Fall 3-0

Date: November 12, 2022

By: Brian Henderson

Seton Hall Athletics

Seton Hall (14-12, 5-9 Big East) lost a brutal game on the road to Xavier (16-8, 9-5 Big East) on Friday, 3-0.

They were fresh off getting swept by Butler almost a week ago, and they started off the first set on an impressive 8-3 run. Bianca Bucciarelli was huge in this stretch of the match, collecting two kills and forcing back-to-back Xavier attacking errors while she was serving.

Once Bucciarelli got a service error, however, things started to crumble. Xavier responded with a 9-1 run to completely flip the script of the first set. Another 7-0 run later, and with the set almost out of reach, the Pirates showed they had some fight in them.

With back-to-back service aces from the freshman Mason Woo, the Pirates had a nice 5-0 run of their own to bring it within three. Unfortunately, four straight points for Xavier ended Set 1 with a score of 25-18. The Pirates wouldn’t go beyond 18 in the other two sets.

The Hall was down eight, but this ace by Mason Woo cuts its deficit to just four, 21-17. Timeout Xavier!!#HALLin pic.twitter.com/1Me1K2iWcR

— Seton Hall Volleyball (@SHUVolley) November 11, 2022

Once again, the Hall burst out to a 9-3 lead in Set 2. Seton Hall’s Jenna Walsh served for seven straight points, collecting an ace in the process.

A little later, the Pirates were up 11-6 before the floodgates opened. A demoralizing 16-4 run from Xavier all but wrapped up set number two, and the Pirates lost 25-17.

The Musketeers smelled blood in the water and came out firing in Set 3, jumping out to an 11-5 lead. Set 3 had the least amount of runs by each team, with points coming in twos and threes, mostly points that were for Xavier. The Pirates didn’t have any fight left in them and lost the final set 25-15.

It was a tough time for The Hall to face Xavier. Seton Hall had started to turn things around when they got beat badly by Butler, only to run into a Musketeer team who was 5-1 in their last six games.

Seton Hall falls in three sets at Xavier. Julia Wilkins had a successful homecoming, leading the Pirates with seven kills, no attack errors and a .467 attack percentage.

Jen Giron had a team-best 14 digs.

The Hall will return to action on Sunday at Creighton.#HALLin pic.twitter.com/Ahek1wOEpF

— Seton Hall Volleyball (@SHUVolley) November 11, 2022

Numerous stats do a good job of showcasing the Pirates performance, but hit percentage and blocks really stand out. The Pirates who average 2 block a set, collected 0 through three sets today. Their hit percentage of 15.6% certainly didn’t help them either.

The Pirates, now 5-9 in conference play, have to face the juggernaut that is the Creighton Blue Jays in Omaha. The Blue Jays are 22-3 and a perfect 14-0 in conference. They’ve also swept teams in their last six games.

This is a David vs Goliath matchup for the Pirates, and they only have until Sunday at 2 p.m. to prepare.

Brian Henderson can be reached at brian.henderson1@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, Volleyball