Walsh, Pirates Down Villanova in Four Sets

Saturday, October 1

Villanova, Pa. / Jake Nevin Field House

5:00 PM

Seton Hall University

12-4,3-1Big East

Villanova

5-11,1-3Big East

Seton Hall

Villanova

Jenna Walsh celebrates a point against UConn on Sept. 23.

10/1/2022 9:39:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score BOX SCORE - Nova (,pdf)

The Pirate tops 20 kills for a second straight night as the Pirates improve to 3-1 in BIG EAST play.

VILLANOVA, PA. – Sophomore Jenna Walsh (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) had a match-high 22 kills and both Bianca Bucciarelli (Carate Brianza, Italy) and Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) had double-doubles as the Seton Hall women's volleyball team downed Villanova, 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 25-17), on Saturday.

After suffering their first BIG EAST loss of the season on Friday, the Pirates looked strong on the road on Saturday, using a .377 attack percentage to surprise the Wildcats in four sets.

Walsh was brilliant, topping 20 kills for a second straight match. She finished with a match-best 22 kills, only four attack errors, a .419 attack percentage, nine digs and two blocks.

Bucciarelli had 13 kills, only one attack error, a .414 attack percentage and 10 digs. Jakubowski notched 23 assists and 12 digs. It was the fourth-straight double-double for both Pirates.

SET 1:
Villanova scored six of the first seven points of the match to set the tone early. Down 12-8, The Hall bounced back with a 6-2 run and a block by Walsh and Asli Subasili (Tekirdag, Turkey) gave it a 14-13 lead. Still leading by one, 19-18, the Pirates scored four of the next five points to grab a commanding 23-19 advantage. A pair of kills by Walsh sandwiched around a Villanova point gave The Hall a 25-21 set one victory.

SET 2:
The Pirates had the lead for much of the second set, but Villanova took control late. With the score tied at 18, the Wildcats closed the second frame with seven of the final nine points to even the match with a 25-20 victory. Both teams' offenses were clicking in the second set as the Pirates fell despite having a solid .262 attack percentage. The teams had a match-high 13 ties in the second set.

SET 3:
The third set featured nine more ties and a match high seven lead changes. Trailing 16-13, The Hall scored four straight points and an ace by Jakubowski tied the set at 17. With the score tied at 21, the Pirates scored three straight, two of which came on blocks by Maddie Klungel (Napa, Calif.) and Laila Wallace (Munster, Ind.) to enter set point. After a Pirate service error, a Wallace kill gave The Hall a 25-22 set three win.

SET 4:
The Hall never trailed in the fourth set as the Pirates cruised to a 25-17 victory. Seton Hall had 18 kills and only one attack error in route to a .567 attack percentage in the match-clinching set. With the score tied at five, The Hall scored five straight to take a 10-5 lead and force a Villanova timeout. Still leading by five, 19-14, The Hall scored four straight points and back-to-back kills by Bucciarelli gave it a commanding 23-14 lead. Out of a timeout, a kill by Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) put The Hall in match point, and a kill by Wallace won it.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Walsh had a match-high 22 kills, only four attack errors, a .419 attack percentage, nine digs and two blocks.
Bucciarelli had a double-double with 13 kills, only one attack error, a .414 attack percentage and 10 digs.
Jakubowski had a double-double with 23 assists and 12 digs.
Lucas had 13 kills, only one attack error and an impressive .571 attack percentage.
Wallace had nine kills and three blocks.
Sophomore Anna Holland (Waukesha, Wis.) had a match-high 15 digs to go with seven assists.
Seton Hall recorded a .377 attack percentage for the match, while Villanova attacked at .239.
The Pirates had 65 kills, while the Wildcats recorded 52.
The Hall tallied 62 digs, while Villanova had 52.
Seton Hall had 5.0 team blocks, while Villanova recorded 2.5.

NEWS & NOTES:

Seton Hall improves to 12-4 overall and 3-1 in the BIG EAST, while Villanova drops to 5-11 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
The Hall is now 18-32 all-time against Villanova and has now won two of the last three meetings.
Seton Hall is now 4-2 in four-set matches this season.
The Hall improves to 10-1 this season when winning the first set.
The Pirates are now 12-2 this season when having a higher attack percentage than its opponent.
Seton Hall improves to a perfect 8-0 this season on Saturdays.
Walsh has now reached double-figures in kills in nine straight matches and has topped 20 kills in the last two.
Jakubowski's double-double is her seventh of the season and the 30^th of her career, which leads all active Pirates.
Bucciarelli's double-double is her fourth straight after not having a double-double in the first 39 matches of her career.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to action on Friday when it returns to the friendly confines of Walsh Gymnasium. The Pirates will host DePaul at 7:00 p.m. The contest will be streamed live by the Pirate Sports Network and available to FloSports subscribers.