Seton Hall University
Xavier
Volleyball Rallies, But Falls to Xavier in 5 Sets
10/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
BOX SCORE (.html) | BOX SCORE (.pdf)
Shelbey Manthorpe (Merion Station, Pa.) had a double-double with a team-high 48 assists to go with 19 digs. She also had eight blocks for a near triple-double. Stacey Manthorpe (Merion Station, Pa.) had a team-high 16 kills to go with 16 digs for her team-leading 16th double-double of the season.
Sophomore Tessa Fournier (Redondo Beach, Calif.) posted a team-high 24 digs.
Seton Hall (19-5, 8-2) got off to a slow start in set one as Xavier scored seven of the first nine points. But the Pirates responded with a 6-0 run to take an 8-7 lead. Four straight points by the Musketeers put them back in front, 11-8. The lead grew to as large as seven points, 23-16. Despite a late run by the Pirates, which pulled them to within one point, 24-23, the Musketeers held on for a 25-23 set one victory. Xavier's Abbey Bessler had seven of her match-high 23 kills in set one to lead all players. Both teams hit well with attack percentages over .230.
The Pirates scored four of the first five points in set two. The Hall extended their lead to 9-5, but Xavier responded with an 8-2 run to take a 13-11 advantage, and never looked back. The Musketeer lead grew to as large as nine points as they cruised to a 25-18 victory to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match. Xavier was dominant offensively as the usually staunch Pirates' defense allowed the Musketeers to attack at a .323 mark in set two.
Xavier kept up the pressure at the start of set three, jumping out to a 7-4 lead. But Seton Hall rebounded with a 5-1 run and blocks by Amanda Hansen (Pewaukee, Wis.) and Shelbey Manthorpe gave the Pirates a 9-8 advantage. From there, the set went back-and-forth with the teams tying an additional 11 times. In the end, a kill by Hansen broke a 23-23 tie and put Seton Hall in set point, and Danielle Schroeder (Chicago, Ill.) drove home the kill that gave the Pirates a 25-23 victory. Seton Hall's defense was better in set three, but Xavier still had a .204 attack percentage.
Stacey Manthorpe started set four with two kills and a block to put Seton Hall in front 3-1 in the early goings. A block by Schroeder extended Seton Hall's lead to 8-2 as The Hall was firmly riding the momentum generated by their set three win. A block by Ashani Rubin (Philadelphia, Pa.) gave Seton Hall a commanding 19-8 lead in set four, prompting a second Xavier timeout. The lead grew to as large as 12 points at 22-10 and the Pirates rolled to a 25-14 set four victory. Xavier never led in set four as the Pirates finally looked like the team that won 19 of its first 23 matches. Seton Hall posted a match-high .371 attack percentage in set four, compared to just .098 for Xavier. Schroeder had five of her 13 kills in the fourth set alone.
Xavier started quick in the decisive fifth set, scoring four of the first five points. A kill by Molly Grammer (Center Valley, Pa.) knotted the set at five, the first of nine ties in the set. With the score tied at nine, Seton Hall appeared to take control with three straight points. A kill by Stacey Manthorpe gave Seton Hall a 12-9 lead and prompted Xavier's second timeout of the set. But the Musketeers scored three straight out of the break to tie the set at 12. With the score tied at 13, an Ashani Rubin attack error put Xavier in match point, but the following service error saved The Hall. Tied at 14, Shelbey Manthorpe had a service error to put the Musketeers back in match point, but a kill by her sister tied the set at 15. Alas, the Pirates were out of rally, and Xavier scored the last two points to win a marathon set five, 17-15, and the match, 3-2.
Seton Hall will return to action tomorrow evening when it hosts Butler at Walsh Gym. Match time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
