Merk, Walsh Fuel Pirates to Sweep of NJIT, 3-0

Saturday, September 7

South Orange, N.J.

3:00 PM

Seton Hall University

2-3,0-0Big East

NJIT

1-6,0-0America East

NJIT

Seton Hall

9/7/2024 5:48:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score BOX SCORE (.pdf)

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Graduate student Reagan Merk (Hunting Beach, Calif.) and senior Jenna Walsh (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) had nine kills each to lead the Seton Hall women's volleyball team to a 3-0, (25-12, 25-18, 25-23), sweep of NJIT on Saturday.

The Pirates have won five of their first six sets in the Seton Hall Classic this weekend and will look to remain unbeaten as the tournament concludes tomorrow against Kent State.

Merk and Walsh both finished just one kill shy of a double-double. Merk had nine kills and 13 digs, while Walsh tallied nine kills 10 digs and three service aces.

SET 1:
Seton Hall dominated NJIT in the opening set, holding the highlanders to a -.074 attack percentage. Leading 10-8, the Pirates went on a 12-2 run, and an ace by Maddie Klungel (Napa, Calif.) gave them a commanding 22-10 advantage. Ahead 23-12, back-to-back kills by Asli Subasili (Tekirdag, Turkiye) and Walsh gave The Hall a 25-12 rout in set one.

SET 2:
NJIT scored the first three points of the second set, but the Pirates responded with a 9-2 run and forced an early timeout. With the score tied at 16, The Hall closed out the set with another 9-2 burst. A kill by Merk put Seton Hall up, 23-18, and then back-to-back service aces by Walsh gave it a 25-18 victory. Walsh had five of her nine kills in set two alone. Sophomore Rylee Nelson (Mazeppa, Minn.) collected eight of her team-high 14 digs in the second set.

SET 3:
The third set was the closest, featuring 12 ties, but ultimately the result was the same. Neither team held a lead of greater than two points throughout the final stanza. With the score tied at 20, a kill by Laila Wallace (Munster, Ind.), followed by an ace from Klungel, put The Hall up, 22-20. After NJIT cut their deficit to one, Merk scored twice on a kill, then an ace, to put the Pirates in match point, 24-21. Three points later, an NJIT service error provided The Hall's winning point, 25-23.

Great defense leads to offense!! A huge dig by Nelson leads to a Walsh kill!!#HALLin 🏐🏴‍☠️🔵⚪ pic.twitter.com/DYFzeOwW7c
— Seton Hall Volleyball (@SHUVolley) September 7, 2024

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Merk had nine kills and 13 digs.
Walsh tallied nine kills, 10 digs and three service aces.
Nelson had a team-high 14 digs.
Klungel had a match-high 19 assists along with three digs and three service aces.
Sophomore Maddy Loiselle (Danville, Calif.) had six kills, no attack errors, and four digs.
Seton Hall recorded a .186 attack percentage for the match, while NJIT attacked at .055.
The Pirates had 36 kills, while NJIT had 26.
The Hall recorded 57 digs, while the Highlanders had 53.
Seton Hall collected 2.0 blocks and NJIT had 3.0.

NEWS & NOTES:

The Hall improves to 2-3, while NJIT falls to 1-6.
Seton Hall is now 9-1 all-time against the Highlanders.
Seton Hall has now won nine consecutive matches in the Seton Hall Classic volleyball tournament.
The Pirates collected season-highs of 57 digs and 10 service aces today against NJIT.
Four of Seton Hall's five matches so far this season have gone only three sets.

UP NEXT:
The Pirates will return to action tomorrow when they host Kent State on day three of the Seton Hall Classic. The match is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and will again be available for FloSports subscribers.