The Seton Hall women’s volleyball team opened its 2026 campaign with a three-match sweep at the Seton Hall Classic.
The Pirates put on a clinic, scoring their first 3-0 start since 2012 after defeating the Illinois State Redbirds, the Fairleigh Dickinson (FDU) Knights and the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Highlanders without conceding a single game.
The Pirates put together a dominant performance against Illinois State on Friday, earning their first of three sweeps over the weekend. The opening set was tight through the midway point, with the score tied at 15. However, a 10-3 run gave the Pirates control and set the tone for the rest of the night.
The Pirates built a commanding 19-12 advantage in the second set and never looked back. The third set got tight toward the end, with the Redbirds going on a 9-2 run after trailing 19-11. Still, the Pirates held on for a 25-23 victory.
Sophomore Daria Safian and freshman Samantha Shelton led the Pirates at the net with 10 and eight kills, respectively. Junior Gwen Adler and senior Rylee Nelson also turned in strong all-around performances. Adler posted 18 assists and three digs, while Nelson recorded six assists and 10 digs.
Saturday's match against FDU started slowly for the Pirates, with the Knights scoring an 11-3 lead in the first set. However, the Pirates responded with a 22-11 run to put the set away. The comeback set the tone for the next two sets, with the Pirates winning handily, 25-13 and 25-12.
Senior Maddy Loiselle led the way with an impressive 14 kills, while junior Alondra Villanueva filled up the stat sheet with nine kills and five digs. Adler showed out again for the Pirates, recording 12 assists and 10 digs.
With incoming students flooding the stands on Sunday, the Pirates played an exciting back-and-forth match against NJIT. The result, however, was the same as Friday and Saturday: another SHU sweep.
The first set felt similar to the rest of the weekend, with the Pirates earning a comfortable 25-18 victory.
Sophomore middle blocker Mia Clyburn and sophomore outside hitter and right side Daria Safian team up to score against NJIT during Sunday's match | Photo by Lianna Cruz | The Setonian
The next two sets, however, offered a much different challenge. In the second set, the score was tied at 24, sending the teams into a win-by-two scenario. After a sly fake from sophomore Emilee Fuller and a kill from sophomore Mia Clyburn, the Pirates finished off the nail-biter.
If the second set was a nail-biter, the third was even more dramatic. The score again reached a win-by-two situation, but this time the teams traded scores three times before the Pirates eventually recorded an ace to seal the victory.
Villanueva again had a strong showing, registering nine kills, two assists and 10 digs, while Shelton added 12 kills and five digs.
Following a 2025 campaign that ended with a 6-21 record, this start has the Pirates trending upward. There is no telling what BIG EAST play will bring, but one thing is for sure: there is a different energy surrounding this team in 2026.
William Gilhooly is an assistant editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at william.gilhooly@student.shu.edu.
