Pirates Set to Host Creighton, Xavier This Weekend - Seton Hall University Athletics
Seton Hall returns to the friendly confines of Walsh Gymnasium this weekend when it welcomes a pair of BIG EAST Conference opponents. The Pirates will host N...
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Walsh Gymnasium
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PREVIEW
Seton Hall returns to the friendly confines of Walsh Gymnasium this weekend when it welcomes a pair of BIG EAST Conference opponents. The Pirates will host No. 15 Creighton on Friday, Oct. 28 at 6:00 p.m. and then Xavier on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 5:00 p.m.
MEDIA
Friday's contest against Creighton will be streamed live by the Pirate Sports Network and available to FloSports subscribers. Saturday's match will not be streamed. WSOU FM will cover both contests and both will be available via Live Stats.
PROMOTIONS
Friday – It's our Dig Pink Match!! All fans in attendance are encouraged to wear pink to help spread breast cancer awareness. Those in attendance will receive a free mini stress ball.
Saturday – It's Halloween at The Hall!! All kids and students are invited to attend the match in costume and "Trick or Treat" in the lobby!!
LAST WEEK
Seton Hall ran into a pair of hot teams on the road last weekend and dropped a pair of three-set matches. Junior Bianca Bucciarelli (Carate Brianza, Italy) had team-highs of eight kills and seven digs, but The Hall fell at No. 19 Marquette, 3-0 (14-25, 11-25, 11-25), on Friday. In addition to Bucciarelli's exploits, The Hall also received a solid match from junior Taylor Jakubowski (Lake in the Hill, Ill.). She finished with a team-best 13 assists to go with six kills.
Perri Lucas (Chicago, Ill.), Jenna Walsh (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) and Laila Wallace (Munster, Ind.) combined for 28 kills and only eight attack errors, but the Pirates fell at DePaul, 3-0 (19-25, 17-25, 21-25), on Saturday. Lucas finished with a team-high 11 kills with only two attack error and a team-best .409 attack percentage. Walsh tallied nine kills and four digs, while Wallace had eight kills, only two attack errors and a .400 attack percentage. Jakubowski nearly had a double-double, finishing with a team-high nine digs and eight assists.
The Hall enters this weekend with a 13-9 record overall and a 4-6 mark in BIG EAST play.
PLAYOFF WATCH
The Hall enters this weekend against Creighton and Xavier just one game out of a BIG EAST Tournament berth. The top six teams will qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament in Omaha, Neb., Nov. 23-26. With a record of 4-6, the Pirates are currently in seventh place. Connecticut and Butler currently occupy the fifth and sixth place positions at 5-5.
The Pirates possess the head-to-head tie-breaker with Connecticut by virtue of their five-set win over the Huskies on Sept. 23. The Hall and UConn will not play again this year. The Pirates lost to Butler on Oct. 14, but still have a chance to win the tie-breaker over the Bulldogs if they can sweep them at home on Nov. 5.
Seton Hall has eight matches remaining with six in Walsh Gymnasium. The Pirates are 9-2 at home this year.
SCOUTING CREIGHTON
Seton Hall and Creighton will meet for the 19th time in history on Friday. The two-time defending BIG EAST Champions have won 15 of the prior 18 meetings with the Pirates including the last 14 in a row. Furthermore, the Bluejays are a perfect 36-0 in sets over the last 12 matches against The Hall. Seton Hall's last victory over Creighton came in 2014, a three-set sweep in Omaha.
The Bluejays are coming off another dominant season in 2021. Creighton finished with a final record of 31-4, which includes a 16-2 mark in BIG EAST play. They didn't lose a set in the BIG EAST Tournament, steamrolling their way to a second-straight conference title. In the NCAA Tournament, Creighton swept Ole Miss in the opening round before falling to Kansas in in four sets in round two.
This year, Creighton was again picked as the favorite to win the 11-team BIG EAST Conference according to the preseason coaches' poll. Sophomores Norah Sis and Kendra Wait, as well as senior Jaela Zimmerman, were named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. Sis was also named Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year after being named an AVCA Third Team All-American as a freshman last season.
Creighton enters this weekend ranked No. 15 in the nation with an 18-3 overall record and a perfect 10-0 mark in conference play. The Bluejays have won 10 straight matches, including a five-set victory over No. 16 Marquette on Oct. 14, handing the Golden Eagles their first BIG EAST loss. Creighton is coming off a pair of road sweeps last weekend at Villanova and at Georgetown. Sis currently leads the BIG EAST with 4.19 kills per set, while Wait is the conference's top setter with 11.42 assists per set.
SCOUTING XAVIER
Seton Hall and Xavier will meet for the 17th time in history on Saturday. The Blue Demons own a 12-4 all-time series lead and had won six straight in the series before the Pirates snapped the streak by sweeping the Musketeers in Walsh Gym last season.
Xavier is coming off an 11-18 season overall last year, which included a 6-12 mark in BIG EAST play. They tied Seton Hall and St. John's for seventh place in the final standings. The Musketeers finished the season with four straight losses and 10 of their final 11 matches.
This year, Xavier was picked to finish eighth in the 11-team BIG EAST Conference according to the preseason coaches' poll. Senior setter Carrigan O'Reilly was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team. The Musketeers also return talented middle blocker Delaney Hogan, but lost fellow MB Ellie Chaffee to graduation.
Xavier has been one of the surprises of the BIG EAST season so far this year. Despite being picked to finish eighth, the Musketeers enter this weekend with a 13-7 overall record and a 6-4 mark in BIG EAST play. They're currently in fourth place and have a two-match lead on a potential BIG EAST Tournament berth. Xavier is coming off a successful weekend with a pair of road victories. They edged Georgetown in five sets on Friday before defeating Villanova in four on Saturday. Lucia Corsaro currently ranks third in the BIG EAST with 4.58 digs per set.
UP NEXT
Next week, The Hall will remain home for a pair of BIG EAST Conference matches. The Pirates will host local rival St. John's on Wednesday, Nov. 2 before welcoming Butler on Saturday, Nov. 5. Both matches will start at 6:00 p.m. and be streamed live by the Pirate Sports Network for FloSports subscribers.
