Seton Hall Comes Back from 0-2 Deficit to Defeat Rutgers

Match Stats

• Seton Hall def. Rutgers 3-2 (25-27, 24-26, 25-17, 25-16, 25-13)
• Seton Hall moves to 6-7, Rutgers falls to 4-9

Press Releases

Courtesy Rutgers Athletics:

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Sept. 17, 2016) –  The Rutgers women’s volleyball team (4-9) suffered a loss in a thrilling five-set match against Seton Hall (6-7) on Saturday morning at the College Ave Gym. The contest concluded the 2016 Rutgers Invitational.

Meme Fletcher posted her fourth double-double of the season to pace RU with 16 kills and 10 digs. Mikaela Matthews notched a season-high eight blocks in the loss.

Seton Hall was led by Danielle Schroeder with a match-high 17 kills to go with a .469 hitting percentage. Grace Forren posted a double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs in the SHU win.

Rutgers raced to a 5-0 lead in set one behind the serves of Megan Sharkey. Although an SHU timeout stumped the run, the Scarlet Knights continued to grow their lead to 12-6, leading by as many as six on two occasions.  With the score 16-10 RU, the Pirates discovered an 8-2 surge to tie up the set, 18-18. A point-for-point battle began on the court, as Rutgers held the edge to close the first frame with the win.

Despite Seton Hall carrying its late momentum into the second set, Rutgers diminished the Pirate edge by tying the score 7-7. SHU regained at most a three-point edge across the following serves. Trailing 18-16, Rutgers notched seven consecutive points, including two kills and an ace from Fletcher, to gain the lead for good at 22-18. The Scarlet Knights closed the frame with a 26-24 victory and a 2-0 advantage in the contest.

After the Pirates responded by evening the match with wins in the third and fourth set, Rutgers regained its rhythm in the decisive fifth frame. The score was tied four times before the Pirates found an 8-6 edge at the midway point. Following a kill for Mikaela Matthews, Fletcher added in RU’s next three kills to tie the score up, 10-10. Next, the duo of Matthews and Cole Trimble notched a block followed by a kill forJillian Duffin to give RU the lead, 12-10. However, the momentum fell short of carrying the Scarlet Knights to victory.

NEXT UP
Rutgers remains home to open Big Ten play with Penn State on Wednesday, Sept. 21. Match is set for a 7 p.m. start at the College Ave Gym.

KNIGHT NOTES

• Meme Fletcher posted her fourth double-double of the season, matching her season-high with 16 kills to go with 10 digs.
• Mikaela Matthews reset her season-best with eight blocks.
• Jillian Duffin was two shy of her career-best with 10 kills in the match.

Follow Rutgers Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram (@RUvball) for all of the latest news and updates. The team is also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersVolleyball). For all Rutgers Athletics news follow us on Twitter(@RUAthletics), Instagram (@RUAthletics), Snapchat (@RUAthletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics).

Courtesy Seton Hall Athletics:

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – SeniorDanielle Schroeder (Chicago, Ill.) had a match-high 17 kills as the Seton Hall women’s volleyball team rallied from a two-set deficit to shock Rutgers, 3-2 (25-27, 24-26, 25-17, 25-16, 15-13), in the finale of the Rutgers Invitational on Saturday.

Rutgers got off to a quick start, scoring the first five points of the match.  Trailing 17-12, Seton Hall scored six of the next seven points to tie the set at 18.  With the score tied at 19, the Scarlet Knights took off again, scoring three straight, which forced a Pirates’ timeout.  A block by Schroeder and Haylee Gasser (Mission Viejo, Calif.) completed another Pirates rally and tied the score at 23.  After staving off two Rutgers set points, the Pirates succumbed to the Scarlet Knights, 27-25.

Seton Hall (6-7) had the quick start in set two, scoring the first three points.  In a set of runs, it was Rutgers that had the last one.  A kill by Schroeder extended the Pirates’ lead to 13-10, but Rutgers quickly responded with a 6-1 run to take a 16-14 advantage.  The Pirates bounced back with four straight to reclaim the lead, 18-16.  Rutgers scored six straight to take a commanding 22-18 lead, but The Hall scored five of the next six points to tie the set at 23.  With the score knotted at 24, Rutgers scored the final two points to win, 26-24, and take a two set lead.

Turning Point:
Down two sets, Seton Hall finally took control in set three.  The Pirates never trailed and used a 6-1 run to take an early 10-4 advantage.  A kill byAbby Thelen (Ft. Mitchell, Ky.) gave the Pirates their largest lead of the match, 10 points at 22-12.  The Hall cruised to a 25-17 victory to remain alive in the match.  The Pirates connected on an impressive .375 attack percentage in a convincing victory.

Riding momentum, the Pirates kept up the pressure in set four.  With the set tied at 10, The Hall went on a 10-1 run and a block by Gasser andCherise Hennigan (Corona, Calif.) gave it a commanding 20-11 lead.  Seton Hall scored the last three points of the set, including a pair of kills by Schroeder, to win, 25-16, and force the match to a decisive fifth set.

Trailing 4-2 in the fifth set, the Pirates went on a 6-2 run, and back-to-back kills by Thelen gave The Hall an 8-6 lead as the teams switched sides.  Rutgers however, responded with a 6-2 run of their own to take a 12-10 advantage.  But the Pirates would not be denied and scored five of the final six points to win set five, 15-13, and the match.

Inside the Numbers:

• Schroeder finished with 17 kills, six blocks, five digs and an impressive .469 attack percentage.
• Sophomore Sophia Coffey (Sierra Madre, Calif.) recorded a double-double with a season-high 46 assists to go with 13 digs and seven kills.  She also had a team-best .636 attack percentage.
• Sophomore Grace Forren (La Jolla, Calif.) had a double-double with 11 kills and a career-high 14 digs.  She also had five blocks, three aces and three assists.
• Hennigan finished with 14 kills.
• Thelen had 12 kills, five blocks and a .476 attack percentage.
• Gasser recorded career-highs of eight blocks and seven kills.

News & Notes:

• This is Seton Hall’s first comeback from a two-set deficit since rallying to defeat Middle Tennessee State on Sept. 20, 2014.
• Seton Hall set season-highs in attack percentage (.326), kills (73), aces (9), assists (69) and blocks (14.0).
• Schroeder has tallied at least 15 kills three times this season and 12 times for her career.
• Coffey’s double-double is her second straight, fourth of the season and 14^th of her career.
• Forren’s double-double is her first of the season and fourth of her career.
• It’s the first time this season the Pirates have won after losing the first set.
• The Pirates improve to 16-16 all-time against Rutgers.
• Seton Hall improves to 2-2 in away matches in 2016.
• Seton Hall improves to 1-1 in five-set matches this season.

Up Next:
The Pirates will return to action on Tuesday, September 20 when they open BIG EAST Conference play at Villanova.  Match time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.