Seton Hall volleyball fell to Marquette in three straight sets—25-14, 25-17, 25-22—on Saturday night The Golden Eagles controlled the first two sets, but the Pirates put up a stronger fight in the third before Marquette closed out the match. The loss dropped SHU to 8-12 overall and 0-8 in BIG EAST conference play.
Marquette took control early in the opening set, scoring the first three points behind a kill from Tani Juric and an ace from Carson Tyler. The Pirates’ middle hitter Maddy Loiselle responded with a block and a powerful kill, but SHU struggled to close the gap as Marquette built a 12-4 lead.
Loukia Papadakos added a well-placed tip for SHU, followed by an impressive outside hit from Alondra Villanueva. However, Marquette's blocking and strong front-row offense put pressure on the Pirates. After a timeout, Rylee Nelson made two impressive pancake saves, keeping rallies alive and giving SHU opportunities to respond.
Despite the defensive effort, Marquette kept pulling ahead. Tyler and Julia Stanev recorded consecutive kills to extend the lead, and the Golden Eagles closed out the set 25-14.
SHU looked to respond in the second set, trading points with Marquette early. The Pirates' back-row defense held up during several rallies, and Kennedy Cummins made an impressive save on a ball driven toward her shoulders. However, Marquette gradually created separation, moving ahead 12-8 and prompting a SHU timeout.
The break did little to slow the Golden Eagles. Juric added a kill, while libero Emi Juric recorded consecutive service aces to help Marquette extend its lead to 21-11. SHU found a few points as Marquette committed errors, but Luanna Markus finished the set with a spike, giving the Golden Eagles a 25-17 win and a two-set advantage.
The Pirates responded best in the third set. Mia Clyburn opened with a block, and Loiselle added a kill as SHU built an early lead. A long rally ended with another Loiselle kill, helping the Pirates move ahead 6-2.
Marquette fought back and eventually took control at 14-10. SHU responded after a timeout when Clyburn faked an attack before Loiselle finished the play with a kill. Setter Gwen Adler then made an impressive diving save before Papadakos sent the ball down on the opposite side, helping the Pirates continue their push.
Villanueva added consecutive kills to bring SHU within a point at 21-20, then tied the score with another successful attack. Marquette answered with a kill from Tyler to regain the lead, and the Golden Eagles maintained their advantage late in the set.
With Marquette leading 24-22, SHU attempted to block Juric's final tip, but the ball went out of bounds off the block. Marquette won the set 25-22 to complete the sweep. Despite the loss, SHU showed great resilience in the third set, using strong defense and timely kills to challenge Marquette late in the match.
Isabella Spina is a writer for The Setonian’s Sports section. She can be reached at isabella.spina@student.shu.edu.
