Pirates Outlast Georgetown in Five-Set Thriller - Seton Hall University Athletics
Senior Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) erupted for a season-high 18 kills and the Seton Hall women's volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 match deficit to ou...
Perri Lucas erupts for a season-high 18 kills and only two attack errors.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senior Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) erupted for a season-high 18 kills and the Seton Hall women's volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 match deficit to outlast Georgetown, 3-2 (21-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 15-11), on Saturday.
The Pirates won for the first time this season after losing the first set (1-7) and rallied after facing a 2-1 deficit after three. It's The Hall's first five-set road victory since edging Villanova on March 20, 2021.
Lucas was brilliant with 18 kills, only two attack errors and a .485 attack percentage.
Graduate student Madeline Matheny (Wilmington, Del.) and senior Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) collected double-doubles. Matheny tallied 15 kills and 11 digs, while Jakubowski notched 23 assists and 13 digs.
Senior Bianca Bucciarelli (Carate Brianza, Italy) had 10 kills, only two attack errors, six digs, four blocks and three aces.
SET 1:
The first set was close throughout, but Seton Hall never led. A kill by Matheny cut the Pirates' deficit to just one, 11-10, but The Hall couldn't get closer. Back-to-back points late in the set, including a kill by Lucas, brought Seton Hall to within 23-21, but Georgetown closed out the set with the final two points. Both teams were impressive offensively in the opening set with The Hall collecting an attack percentage of .342 and Georgetown checking in at .357. In fact, there were only five attack errors combined.
SET 2:
With the score tied at 10 in set two, Georgetown went on a 6-2 run to take a 16-12 lead. The Pirates responded with a 7-1 run of their own, and back-to-back kills by Matheny put them back on top, 19-17. Leading 22-20, a kill by Lucas and an ace by Asli Subasili (Tekirdag, Turkey) put The Hall in set point, 24-20. Two points later, Lucas' seventh kill of the set gave Seton Hall a 25-21 victory.
SET 3:
The third set was a set of runs. Down 11-6, The Hall went on a 6-1 run, and a kill by Matheny tied the set at 12. Trailing 15-13, the Pirates took off again, and another 6-1 run, capped by an ace from Bucciarelli put them on top, 19-16, and prompted a Hoyas timeout. Out of the break, the rejuvenated Hoyas closed out the set with nine of the final 11 points to win, 25-21. After two stellar sets with an attack percentage over .300, the Pirates attacked at only a .162 clip in set three.
SET 4:
Seton Hall scored three straight to grab a 12-7 lead in the fourth set, but The Hoyas responded with three of their own to force an early Pirates' timeout. Georgetown upped its run to 6-1 to tie the set at 13. After the score was tied three more times, Seton Hall took control with a 4-1 spurt to grab a 23-19 advantage. Facing set point, the Hoyas cut their deficit to 24-22, but a Matheny kills put set four in the win column for The Hall.
SET 5:
A kill by Maddie Klungel (Napa, Calif.) gave The Hall a 7-4 advantage in set five, but Georgetown bounced back with three straight points to tie the score. Seton Hall took off again with three consecutive points, and a block by Bucciarelli and Subasili gave it a 10-7 lead and sent the Hoyas to a timeout. A kill by Hanna Tulli (Collegeville, Pa.) gave the Pirates a 13-9 lead, but Georgetown scored two in a row to cut their lead in half and send The Hall to a timeout. Out of the break, another kill by Tulli put the Pirates in match point, and Bucciarelli closed out the match with an ace.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Lucas had a season-high 18 kills, only two attack errors and a .485 attack percentage.
- Matheny notched 15 kills and 11 digs.
- Jakubowski had a team-high 23 assists to go with 13 digs.
- Bucciarelli collected 10 kills, only two attack errors, six digs, four blocks and three service aces.
- Tulli had eight kills, only two attack errors and a team-best five blocks.
- Klungel had 19 assists, six kills, four digs and two blocks.
- Anna Holland (Waukesha, Wis.) collected a team-high 16 digs.
- Seton Hall recorded a .286 attack percentage for the match, while Georgetown attacked at .251.
- The Pirates had 63 kills, while Georgetown had 64.
- The Hall recorded 62 digs, while the Hoyas had 60.
- Seton Hall collected 9.0 blocks and Georgetown had 7.0.
- Seton Hall improves to 10-11 overall and 4-7 in the BIG EAST, while Georgetown drops to 12-10 overall and 3-7 in conference play.
- The Hall is now 23-24 all-time against the Hoyas.
- The Pirates improve to 2-1 in five-set matches this season.
- Matheny's double-double is her third straight, sixth of the season and the ninth of her career.
- Jakubowski's double-double is her 10th of the season and the team-leading 45th of her career.
- It's the fifth time this season that Matheny has collected at least 15 kills.
- It's Lucas' eighth career match with at least 15 kills.
- The Pirates are now 10-0 this season when having a higher attack percentage than their opponent.
- The Hall won for the first time this season after losing the first set (1-7).
- Seton Hall picks up a five-set road win for the first time since defeating Villanova on March 20, 2021.
The Pirates will return to action on Friday, Oct. 27 when it hosts Butler at historic Walsh Gymnasium. Match time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
