Despite Caitlin Koska and Abby Thelen’s best efforts, the Seton Hall women’s volleyball team fell to Creighton in straight sets on Saturday night. Koska had eight kills and one block and Thelen had 13 kills and six digs on the night.
The Pirates started slowly in the first set, falling prey to the height of Creighton’s front line and dropping behind 8-2. Once Thelen entered the game, however, the Pirates began to settle in, getting two key kills from the senior and one from Amanda Rachwal. The teams traded points from that point on until Creighton finished off the set, 25-16, with a kill by Jaali Winters.
In the second set, the Pirates took an early 6-5 lead. From there, though, Creighton exerted its will on Seton Hall, extending its lead to 24-13 before a six-point Seton Hall rally which was led by kills by Koska and Thelen. The rally was abruptly ended by a thrashing kill that ended the set in favor of Creighton, 25-19.
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Photo via SHU Athletics[/caption]
The third set unfortunately saw the Pirates get tired out by Creighton, losing 25-13. Bright spots in the third set included two kills each by Emilee Turner and the steady Thelen.
Eden Dolezal led the Pirates with 10 digs, Sophia Coffey chipped in with eight digs, and Koska, Rachwal, Haylee Gasser, and Cherise Hennigan each had one block.
Despite the loss, there were many positives for head coach Allison Yaeger.
“Abby had a good game today,” Yaeger said. “I liked the 6-2 when we put it in and I thought freshman Emily Turner did a good job out there.”
“Abby is our go-to player. Last night’s game against Providence was outstanding for Abby and today she hung with the best of them out there against Creighton. We’re going to miss Abby next year but I want her to leave it all out on the court for the next couple matches.”
One of those matches is the team’s next one against Saint John’s, which also functions as Senior Night/
“I know the seniors are looking forward to their last match at Walsh,” Yaeger said. “It’ll be emotional but these walls could tell a lot of stories about this senior class and we’re sad to see them go.”
Matthew Collins can be reached at matthew.collins@student.shu.edu.
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