Seton Hall University
Villanova
Volleyball Falls at Nova, 3-2
9/30/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
VILLANOVA, PA. - Sophomore Shelbey Manthorpe (Merion Station, Pa.) notched her fourth triple-double of the season, but it was not enough as the Seton Hall women's volleyball team had its 12-game win streak snapped in a hard-fought 3-2 (22-25, 25-19, 16-25, 27-25, 12-15) loss at Villanova on Sunday.
The loss is the first for the Pirates in BIG EAST play, dropping their records to 15-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference.
Manthorpe tallied team-highs of 16 kills and 24 assists to go with 17 digs.
The Pirates trailed 19-9 in set four, but slowly chipped away to pull back into contention. With Villanova leading 24-20, Seton Hall staved off three Wildcat match points, and scored seven of the final eight points of the set for an improbable 27-25 set four victory.
But Seton Hall couldn't keep the positive momentum going in the fifth set. The Pirates fell behind, 8-4, early and had to play catch-up. An 8-2 run however, capped by a kill from Manthorpe, gave Seton Hall a 12-10 lead. But out of a timeout, Villanova would score five consecutive points to win the deciding set, 15-12, and the marathon match, three sets to two.
Seton Hall had a lot of trouble on the offensive attack throughout the match. The Pirates recorded a season-low .095 hitting percentage and a season-high 42 attack errors.
Freshman Molly Grammer (Center Valley, Pa.) matched her career-high of 15 kills in the loss.
Junior Alyssa Warren (Joliet, Ill.) had a strong defensive match with a season-high 40 digs. The performance makes her only the third player in Seton Hall history to record over 1,400 career digs.
Seton Hall led 16-11 mid-way through the first set, but Villanova rebounded and took a 19-18 lead with a 7-2 run. The Pirates would never re-take the advantage as the Wildcats won the first set, 25-22.
The Pirates would rebound in set two however. Villanova led 12-9, but Seton Hall would score five straight to take a 14-12 advantage, a lead they would not relinquish. Seton Hall led 20-18 and scored five of the final six points to win set two 25-19.
Set three was dominated by Villanova. With the Wildcats leading 12-10, they scored six straight points to take a commanding 18-10 lead. The Pirates were only in the set early and dropped set three, 25-16.
The Pirates will return to action next weekend when they remain on the road for a pair of games in the Midwest. Seton Hall will take on Louisville on Saturday at noon and Cincinnati on Sunday at 2:00 pm. SHU will return home to Walsh Gym on Saturday, Oct. 13 when they host Marquette.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shuathletics and follow the Pirates on Twitter @SHUAthletics.
