Reagan Merk (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Senna Roberts-Navarro (Honolulu, Hawaii) had 11 kills apiece to pace the Seton Hall women's volleyball team to a 3...
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Pirates Down Sacred Heart, 3-1, for First Win
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. –
Reagan Merk (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and
Senna Roberts-Navarro (Honolulu, Hawaii) had 11 kills apiece to pace the Seton Hall women's volleyball team to a 3-1, (25-23, 25-15, 23-25, 25-19), victory over Sacred Heart on Friday.
The Pirates dropped the third set, but bounced back thanks to a late 6-1 run in the fourth set to seal their first victory of the season. The Pirates have now won eight straight matches when hosting the Seton Hall Classic volleyball tournament.
Merk dazzled in her Walsh Gym debut, collecting 11 kills, a .280 attack percentage, nine digs and three service aces. Roberts-Navarro also had 11 kills to go with five digs.
Sophomore
Rylee Nelson (Mazeppa, Minn.) collected a career-high 22 digs to go with six assists.
SET 1:
The Pirates trailed for the vast majority of the opening set. Down 18-13, The Hall went on a 7-2 run to tie the score at 20. Trailing 23-21, Seton Hall scored the final four points of the set, the last three on attack errors by the Pioneers. Neither team showed their best volleyball in the first set with the teams combining for 17 attack errors. The Hall won the set with a .071 attack percentage.
SET 2:
Seton Hall got off to a much better start in set two, but Sacred Heart kept the score close and took a 13-12 lead. The Pirates bounced back with a 13-2 run to close out the set. A service ace by Roberts-Navarro put The Hall in set point, 24-14, and two points later, a kill by Merk closed out a Pirates' victory, 25-15. The second set was the best for Seton Hall as they recorded a .321 attack percentage, while limiting the Pioneers to just .074.
SET 3:
The third set was very similar to the first, only the roles were reversed. The Pirates led for most of the action, but Sacred Heart rallied late. A kill by
Maddy Loiselle (Danville, Calif.) gave The Hall a commanding 17-10 advantage. The Pioneers, however, chipped away and remained within striking distance. Down 23-20, Sacred Heart scored the last five points of the set to shock The Hall and avoid a sweep.
SET 4:
The fourth set featured eight ties and four lead changes, but the Pirates were able to take control late. Clinging to a 15-14 advantage, The Hall scored seven of the next nine points, and a block by Loiselle and
Asli Subasili (Tekirdag, Turkiye) gave it a 22-16 lead. A kill by
Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.) put The Hall in match point, 24-18, and two points later, Merk's 11th kill of the day won the match.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Merk had 11 kills, only four attack errors, a .280 attack percentage, nine digs and three service aces.
- Roberts-Navarro tallied a season-high 11 kills to go with five digs and two assists.
- Nelson collected a career-high 22 digs to go with six assists.
- Senior Maddie Klungel (Napa, Calif.) had a team-high 21 assists to go with seven digs.
- Loiselle had a breakout match with career-highs of nine kills and four blocks.
- Seton Hall recorded a .200 attack percentage for the match, while Sacred Heart attacked at .098.
- The Pirates had 46 kills, while Sacred Heart had 38.
- The Hall recorded 50 digs, while the Pioneers had 53.
- Both teams collected six team blocks.
NEWS & NOTES:
- The Hall picks up its first victory of the season and improves to 1-3, while Sacred Heart falls to 2-2.
- Seton Hall improves to a perfect 7-0 all-time against the Pioneers.
- Seton Hall head coach Shannon Thompson picked up her 50th career coaching victory today.
- With 21 assists today, Klungel surpassed the 1,500-assists mark for her career.
- With 11 kills today, Roberts-Navarro surpassed the 100-kills mark for her career.
- Seton Hall has now won eight consecutive matches in the Seton Hall Classic volleyball tournament.
UP NEXT:
The Pirates will return to action tomorrow when they host NJIT on day two of the Seton Hall Classic. The match is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. and will again be available for FloSports subscribers.