Pirates Suffer First Loss of 2026; Fall to UNC Asheville

Saturday, September 5

Harrah's Cherokee Center / Asheville, N.C.

4:00 PM

Seton Hall University

4-1,0-0Big East

UNC Asheville

5-1,0-0Big South

Team	1	2	3	Final F
UNC Asheville	25	25	25	3
Seton Hall	17	18	17	0

Pirates Suffer First Loss of 2026; Fall to UNC Asheville

9/5/2026 8:14:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score BOX SCORE (.pdf)

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Junior Gwen Adler (Barrington, Ill.) had a double-double, but the Seton Hall women's volleyball team fell to UNC Asheville, 3-0 (17-25, 18-25, 17-25), for its first loss of the 2026 season on Saturday.

Seton Hall led in all three sets, but couldn't convert late as the host Bulldogs sent the Pirates to their first loss of the season. The Hall also had a season-low .100 attack percentage compared to .322 for UNC Asheville.

Adler picked up her second double-double in five matches this year with team-highs of 14 assists and 11 digs. Freshman Samantha Shelton (Oak Park, Ill.) had a team-high seven kills. Sophomore Mia Clyburn (Fort Mill, S.C.) had three kills and a team-high five blocks.

SET 1:
A kill by Daria Safian (Moscow, Russia) gave The Hall a 10-8 lead in the opening set, but UNC Asheville rallied with a 5-1 burst to grab a 13-11 advantage. With the score tied at 13, the Bulldogs closed out the set with a 12-4 run. Seton Hall had a .000 attack percentage in the opening frame.

SET 2:
It was close early on in set two, and a kill by Shelton tied the set at 16. UNC Asheville, however, finished the set with a 9-2 run to claim the second frame, 25-18. The Hall's offense was better, but still not what it was last weekend, finishing with a .156 attack percentage.

SET 3:
The Bulldogs largely dominated the third set, using a match-high .429 attack percentage to close out the sweep with a 25-17 victory. Back-to-back kills by Shelton gave The Hall a 9-7 advantage, but UNC Asheville answered with an 11-3 run to take a commanding 18-12 lead. The Hall closed to within 20-16, but the Bulldogs closed out the match with a 5-1 burst.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

Adler finished with team-highs of 14 assists and 11 digs.
Shelton had a team-high seven kills to go with three digs.
Clyburn had three kills and a team-high five blocks.
Sophomore Kennedy Horn (Columbus, Ind.) had four kills and four blocks.
Seton Hall recorded a .100 attack percentage for the match, while UNC Asheville attacked at .322.
The Pirates had 22 kills, while UNC Asheville had 43.
The Hall tallied 29 digs, while the Bulldogs had 41.
Seton Hall had 9.0 team blocks, while UNC Asheville had 6.0.

NEWS & NOTES:

Seton Hall suffers its first loss of the young season and drops to 4-1, while UNC Asheville improves to 5-1.
This was the first-ever match between UNC Asheville and Seton Hall.
The Hall drops to 3-1 in three-set matches this season.
Adler's double-double is her second of the season and the eighth of her career.
With 14 assists today, Adler surpassed 600 for her career.
With three assists today, Emilee Fuller (Louisville, Ky.) surpassed 300 for her career.

UP NEXT:
The Pirates will return to action tomorrow when it concludes play at the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. The Hall will face Western Carolina at 1:00 p.m.