Shelton, Adler Fuel Third Straight Pirates Sweep

Sunday, August 30

South Orange, N.J.

3:00 PM

Seton Hall University

3-0,0-0Big East

NJIT

0-3,0-0America East

Team	1	2	3	Final F
NJIT	18	24	26	0
Seton Hall	25	26	28	3

Photo by: Nico Mincolelli

8/30/2026 7:34:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score BOX SCORE (.pdf)

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Freshman Samantha Shelton (Oak Park, Ill.) had a career-high 12 kills and junior Gwen Adler (Barrington, Ill.) erupted for 33 assists as the Seton Hall women's volleyball team swept a feisty NJIT team, 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 28-26), on Sunday.

The victory gives The Hall the championship of their own tournament, the Seton Hall Classic. The Pirates didn't lose a set in victories over Illinois State, FDU and NJIT. Adler was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament after averaging 7.0 assists per set.

After an easy opening set, the Pirates had to sweat out victories that went beyond 25 points in sets two and three.

Shelton had 12 points, only two attack errors, and five digs, while Alondra Villanueva (Lima, Peru) recorded nine kills, only two attack errors, 10 digs and three service aces. Mia Clyburn (Fort Mill, S.C.) had a career-high also had a career-high nine kills with just two attack errors. Adler added seven digs to her 33 assists.

Members of the Seton Hall Classic All-Tournament Team include:
Gwen Adler, Seton Hall (MVP)
Ruth Ziegler, Illinois State
Alessia Zampieri, FDU
Ela Akay, NJIT

SET 1:
The match looked like it was going to be easy for Seton Hall after it raced out to a commanding 19-7 lead in the opening set. NJIT, however, answered with a 9-1 run to cut their deficit to four points and force a Pirates timeout. The Hall regrouped out of the break and closed out a 25-18 victory. A kill by Hania Labanowska (Warsaw, Poland) put the Pirates in match point, and a block by Shelton and Alex Rasmussen (Lincoln, Neb.) put set one in the win column. The Hall had an impressive .444 attack percentage in the first frame.

SET 2:
NJIT scored six of the first eight points in the second set. Down 10-6, Seton Hall scored four straight to tie the set at 10 and force an NJIT timeout. From there, neither team had a lead greater than a single point until the end of the set. With the set tied at 23, a kill by Shelton put The Hall in set point, but the Highlanders were able to tie the score at 24. A kill by Emilee Fuller (Louisville, Ky.) again put The Hall in set point, and this time, a kill by Clyburn won the set for the Pirates, 26-24.

SET 3:
Seton Hall got off to a better start in set three, but the end result was even closer. The teams combined for 15 ties and six lead changes in an epic, back-and-forth third set. An ace by Villanueva put The Hall up, 17-14 and forced an NJIT timeout, but the Highlanders regrouped and tied the score at 18. Now trailing 23-21, the Pirates scored three straight points, and a kill by Clyburn put them in match point, 24-23. The Highlanders were able to stave off that match point and two others before ultimately succumbing. An NJIT attack error put The Hall up 27-26, and another Villanueva ace ended the third-set marathon, 28-26.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Shelton had a career-high 12 kills, only two attack errors and five digs.
Adler had a match-high 33 assists to go with seven digs.
Villanueva tallied nine kills, only two attack errors, 10 digs and three aces.
Clyburn had nine kills, only two attack errors and a team-best .538 attack percentage.
Senior Rylee Nelson (Mazeppa, Minn.) had a match-high 13 digs with three assists.
Seton Hall recorded a .321 attack percentage for the match, while NJIT attacked at .172.
The Pirates had 48 kills, while NJIT had 38.
The Hall tallied 51 digs, while the Highlanders had 42.
Both teams finished with 5.0 team blocks.

NEWS & NOTES:

Seton Hall is now a perfect 3-0 on the young season, while NJIT falls to 0-3.
The Hall has opened the season 3-0 for the first time since 2012.
It's the first time The Hall has started the season with three consecutive sweeps since 2003.
The Pirates improve to 10-2 all-time against NJIT.
Adler was named Most Valuable Player of the Seton Hall Classic.
The Hall swept all three of its opponents in an in-season tournament for the first time since 2006.
Adler reached at least 30 assists in a single-match for the fourth time in her career.
The victory is head coach Shannon Thompson's 50^th at Seton Hall.

UP NEXT:
The Pirates will return to action on Friday, Sept. 4 when it begins play at the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. The Hall will face Jacksonville State at 4:00 p.m.