Credit: GR Productions
Seton Hall gets Swept by Big East Rival Villanova
Published: Saturday, September 27, 2025
by Oren Mouton
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -- The Seton Hall Pirates (6-7) continued conference play when they were swept by the Villanova Wildcats (11-2) in Historic Walsh Gymnasium on Saturday evening.
The Pirates came in looking to build some momentum as they kicked off Big East play
this weekend, but faced a Villanova squad that has been strong all season. The match
quickly turned into a story of early runs, costly errors, and missed opportunities
for Seton Hall.
The opening set set the tone for the night as both teams traded points early on. The
Pirates capitalized on some early mistakes from Villanova, though, as the Pirates
took an early 6-3 lead feeding off the home crowd’s energy.
However, a string of errors for Seton Hall began to add up as it became a back and
forth game by the midpoint. It was 13-11 with the Wildcats leading. But despite a
gritty push from the Pirates late in the set, Villanova took the first set after a
very close battle.
Both teams traded blows at the beginning of the second set. Villanova struggled with
its serves, yet the Wildcats quickly found ways to exploit the miscommunication between
the front and back lines of Seton Hall, attacking the seams of the Pirates' defense
and allowing Villanova to build a lead.
Seton Hall showed resilience, with Safian stepping up and finding her rhythm midway
through the set. She delivered timely kills to keep the Hall within striking distance,
but the Pirates could not finish their runs consistently. Errors again plagued them
at crucial moments, letting Villanova sneak out of the second set despite the Pirates'
strong stretches of play.
Villanova jumped out to take a commanding 5-0 lead in the third set, and a lot of
simple mistakes cost the Pirates valuable points. The Pirates' defense struggled to
handle the power and placement of Villanova’s attacks, as the Wildcats rained down
kills that tested Seton Hall’s back row.
The Pirates' defense towards the end of the set collapsed as Villanova extended its
lead to as many as 13 points. Despite flashes of promise, the Pirates could not overcome
the Wildcats' firepower, dropping the match in straight sets.
Seton Hall will look to bounce back on Friday, October 3 when they travel to Connecticut
to face the UConn Huskies.
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