Inconsistency plagues volleyball in 2018
Although sweeping DePaul, 3-0, in its final match of the season on Nov. 17, the Seton Hall volleyball team ended the year on a disappointing note. In a season filled with promise and high expectations, Allison Yaeger’s squad failed to qualify for the Big East Championship. The Pirates finished with a 10-20 record overall, including a measly 5-12 in conference play and 2-9 away from their home court. The team’s greatest downfall came...
Thelen reflects on her Seton Hall career
Volleyball senior Abby Thelen was named to the All-Big East First Team for the second consecutive year last week. While the honor shows what Thelen has meant to Seton Hall, it is only a small part of her impact on the program. Thelen is one of only six players in Seton Hall history with over 1,300 career kills, while also ranking fifth in school history in attacks with more than 3,500. On the defensive end, she made her impact by...
Thelen, Koska shine as Pirates fall to Creighton
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...
Pirates secure necessary victory over Friars
The Seton Hall women’s volleyball team defeated Providence, 3-1, in an enthralling match on Friday evening, improving the team’s record to 9-18. The Pirates and the Friars exchanged point for point in the opening serves of the first set. Each side was only able to hold a two-point lead until the Pirates made it 11-8 and found a groove that carried them to a 25-18 set win. Sophia Coffey and Elizabeth Sottung each contributed an ace in...
Pirates battle in hard-fought affair with Butler
The Seton Hall women’s volleyball team extended its losing streak to three games on Saturday night, falling to Butler University, 3-1. The game continued Seton Hall’s struggles on the road as the team drops to 1-9 away from Walsh Gymnasium. The match got off to a good start for the Pirates. After leading 12-10, they went on a crucial 7-2 run to lead 19-12. Butler climbed back to make the game 21-17, but the Pirates would eventually...
Pirates fight hard in loss to Xavier
On Friday, the Seton Hall women’s volleyball team lost, 3-1, to Xavier University. The loss drops the Pirates to 8-17, including 3-9 in conference play. The first set began neck-and-neck. On the back of Sophia Coffey’s six assists and Abby Thelen’s four kills, the set was tied 11-11 at one point, but the Pirates could not pull ahead from there as Xavier won 25-21. Xavier had 17 kills that set, compared to Seton Hall’s 15, and the lead...
Thelen’s libero relationship comes full circle with Dolezal
Freshman libero Eden Dolezal may be a rising star for the Seton Hall volleyball program, but the bright-eyed newcomer did not come to South Orange for the sparkling lights of New York City. “No, I don’t want the city,” the native of LaPorte, Ind., said in an interview this week. “No, too much, too much. It’s crazy.” Dolezal visited Seton Hall for the first time on Aug. 11, 2016, after head coach Allie Yaeger watched her at AAU...
Powerful offense leads to sweep of DePaul
Seton Hall women’s volleyball swept DePaul University on Friday evening, improving the team’s record to 7-14. Seton Hall came strong out of the gate, as DePaul struggled to find ways to defend. The Pirates started the set going up 4-0, and they did not look back from there and closed out set one 25-18. Caitlin Koska and Haylee Gasser had four kills apiece, leading the way for the team. Sarah Yenesel / Photography Editor The second set...
Pirates fall to Creighton, drop seventh game in a row
The Seton Hall women’s volleyball team was swept on Friday night by Creighton, extending its losing streak to seven games. The Pirates started the match by trading kills with the Bluejays, keeping the game close or tied. The Bluejays, however, would go on a 5-2 run to take a 14-11 lead in the middle of the set and never looked back, keeping control. The Pirates got the set to as close as 22-19, but ultimately fell 25-20. Set two...
Former walk-on now wears the coveted pink shirt
The path to becoming a routine starter for volleyball has been anything but clear for Miranda Higginbotham. One of Seton Hall volleyball’s unsung heroes, the fiery competitor has seen her game blossom from being a walk-on in her freshman year to a crucial role as a starting libero and defensive specialist. Not even expecting to play her freshman year as a recruited walk-on, Higginbotham earned playing time as a defensive specialist....
Pirates swept again in loss to Red Storm
The Seton Hall women’s volleyball team fell, 3-0, to Saint John’s University on Saturday night. The Pirates, now 0-5 in Big East play, drop to 5-13 on the season. In the first set, it was all Red Storm, as the Pirates never gained lead. After falling into a 12-5 deficit, the Pirates cut the lead to 17-14, but the Red Storm would answer back with an 8-1 run. Seton Hall would ultimately drop the set, 25-15. The Pirates did slightly...
Yaeger and company face long odds, but that is nothing new
Inside Madison Square Garden on the morning of Aug. 6, the communications staff for the Big East Conference prepared its release of the volleyball coaches’ preseason poll, an annual exercise in bewilderment for Seton Hall head coach Allie Yaeger. The seventh-year Pirates leader looked at the projections and saw what she had seen for four straight seasons: Seton Hall outside the four postseason spots. “Yeah, you know, I don’t really...