Seton Hall University
Connecticut
Volleyball Drops Marathon at UConn
10/28/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
STORRS, CONN. - The Seton Hall women's volleyball team rallied from a 2-to-1 set deficit, but fell at Connecticut in five sets, 3-2 (26-28, 25-23, 22-25, 25-23, 11-15), Sunday.
Seton Hall (17-7, 5-6) lost despite some impressive individual efforts. Junior Alyssa Warren (Joliet, Ill.) recorded a season-high 42 digs, the highest total of any BIG EAST player so far this season.
Sisters Shelbey and Stacey Manthorpe (Merion Station, Pa.) both recorded double-doubles. Shelbey notched a career-high 24 digs to go with 43 assists for her team-leading 16 double-double of the season. Stacey had 16 kills to go with 15 digs for her 15 double-double of the year.
Senior Morgan DeVries (Grand Rapids, Mich.) tallied 16 kills to match her career-high and did so with a team-best .441 hitting percentage.
The Pirates dropped a marathon of a first set in which they were seemingly in control. A kill by DeVries gave Seton Hall a commanding 17-8 lead, but the Pirates couldn't keep the momentum. UConn went on a 10-3 run to cut the Pirates lead to two at 20-18. Seton Hall again extended its lead to five, grabbing a 23-18 advantage, but the Huskies scored five straight to tie the set at 23. Hannah Hugeback (Virginia Beach, Va.) drove home a point off a set from Shelbey Manthorpe to put the Pirates into set point at 24-23, but UConn scored the next two points to take a 25-24 lead and enter set point themselves. Freshman Amanda Hansen (Pewaukee, Wis.) tied the set at 25 with a kill and a UConn attack error tied the game at 26. The Huskies however, would score the next two points and win set one, 28-26.
Off the set one victory, UConn kept scoring. The Huskies scored the first three points of the set and held a 10-6 advantage. Trailing 12-8, the Pirates went on a 7-1 run to take a 15-13 lead. With the score tied at 18, Seton Hall scored three straight to take a 21-18 lead. UConn however, responded with four of the next five points to tie the set at 22. With the set tied at 23, Seton Hall scored the last two points to tie the match at one set apiece.
UConn (16-10, 7-4) again got off to a fast start and led 6-2 in the early stages of set three. Seton Hall however, responded with five straight points to take a 7-6 lead. From there, the set was very evenly played with the score tying nine times. Tied at 20, the Huskies scored the next two points and never looked back. Hansen's kill pulled Seton Hall to within one at 23-22, but UConn scored the last two points to win set three, 25-22.
The Huskies took an 11-9 lead in set four, but the Pirates answered with an 11-1 run to take a 20-12 advantage, a lead they wouldn't relinquish. UConn drew close thanks to a 6-1 run of their own and cut the lead to just one on Mattison Quayle's ace at 24-23, but Amanda Hansen's kill ended the set and tied the match at two sets apiece.
An incredibly evenly played match throughout, it wasn't surprising to see it go five sets. The teams combined for 43 ties and 19 lead changes throughout the match.
Set five was no different. The teams had 10 ties in a set that would be played to only 15 points. Another kill by Morgan DeVries tied the set at 11, but UConn would score the final four points of the match, winning set five 15-11, and the match, 3-to-2.
Freshman Kayla Kohler (Whitehall, Pa.) had the best offensive match of her young career and notched a career-high nine kills.
Seton Hall will return to action next Saturday when it hosts Notre Dame at Walsh Gym for a 2:00 p.m. match. The following day, the Pirates will host DePaul on Senior Day. Match time will also be at 2:00 p.m.
