The Hall Opens Play at Blue Ridge Classic, Friday

2026 BLUE RIDGE CLASSIC
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2026 at 4:00 PM
SETON HALL (3-0) vs. JACKSONVILLE STATE (1-2)
ASHEVILLE, N.C. | Harrah's Cherokee Center
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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2026 at 4:00 PM
SETON HALL (3-0) vs. UNC ASHEVILLE (3-1)
ASHEVILLE, N.C. | Harrah's Cherokee Center
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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2026 at 4:00 PM
SETON HALL (3-0) vs. WESTERN CAROLINA (0-3)
ASHEVILLE, N.C. | Harrah's Cherokee Center
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WEEKLY STATS REPORT: SETON HALL
2026 BIG EAST STANDINGS
BIG EAST STATISTICAL LEADERS

PREVIEW
Seton Hall will return to action this weekend for three matches at the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. The Hall will face Jacksonville State on Friday, UNC Asheville on Saturday and Western Carolina on Sunday. All three contests will begin at 4:00 p.m. Seton Hall has never before faced any of the three opponents.

MEDIA
None of the matches this weekend will have a live video stream. All three, however, will have Live Stats.

SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE STATE
Jacksonville State is coming off a 14-15 season in 2025, which included a first-round loss to Kennesaw State in the Conference USA Tournament.

This season, Jacksonville State is picked to finish eighth in the 10-team Conference USA according to the 2026 Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Gamecocks enter the contest having lost two of three matches last weekend. They were swept by both Jacksonville and Southern Mississippi, but defeated Southern in four sets. Claire Evans currently leads Jacksonville State with 2.90 kills per set.

SCOUTING UNC ASHEVILLE
UNC Asheville went 12-18 last season, which included a 7-7 final record in the Big South Conference. The Bulldogs made a nice run in the Big South Tournament, defeating USC Upstate and top-seeded Winthrop, but was swept in the championship game by second-seeded High Point.

The Bulldogs are picked to finish fifth this season in the eight-team conference, according to the Big South preseason coaches' poll. In the season-opening weekend, UNC Asheville swept Montreat College and defeated Middle Tennessee State in four sets. Their lone loss came to Boise State in three sets. Most recently, the Bulldogs edged Elon in five sets on Tuesday and now enter the weekend with a 3-1 record.

SCOUTING WESTERN CAROLINA
The Catamounts are coming off an 8-21 season in 2025, which included a 3-13 mark in the Southern Conference. Western Carolina swept The Citadel in the opening round of the SoCon Tournament, but lost to top-seeded Eastern Tennessee State in the second round.

This season, Western Carolina is picked to finish eighth in the 10-team SoCon, according to the Preseason Coaches' Poll. Senior setter Katie Boney was named to the Preseason All-Conference Team. The Catamounts opened the 2026 season with a trio of losses in the opening weekend. They lost a five-set marathon to BIG EAST foe Butler on opening night before dropping another five-setter to Charleson Southern and a four-set match to Clemson.

UP NEXT
After the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic, the Pirates will head to the Maryland Invitational in College Park, Md. for three matches, Sept. 11-12. The Hall will face host Maryland on Friday, followed by Princeton and Saint Peter's on Saturday.

Pirates Rally Past Jacksonville State in Four Sets​

Box



ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Four players had at least eight kills as the Seton Hall women's volleyball team defeated Jacksonville State, 3-1 (25-21, 24-26, 25-17, 25-23), in the opening match of the Blue Ridge Classic on Friday.

Seton Hall rallied from 18-14 and 22-20 deficits in set four to pull out a dramatic 25-23 win and seal a four-set match victory. The Pirates are now 4-0 to start the season for the first time since 2003.

Sophomore Daria Safian (Moscow, Russia) had a team-high 12 kills and a .450 attack percentage. Senior Maddy Loiselle (Tampa, Fla.) had 10 kills and a career-high six blocks. Sophomore Mia Clyburn (Fort Mill, S.C.) had a career-high nine kills, only one attack error, a .500 attack percentage, four blocks and three digs. Alondra Villanueva (Lima, Peru) finished with eight kills and nine digs.

Senior Rylee Nelson (Mazeppa, Minn.) had a team-high 12 digs. Gwen Adler (Barrington, Ill.) and Emilee Fuller (Louisville, Ky.) each had exactly 21 assists and four digs.

SET 1:
Seton Hall scored the first point of the match, but Jacksonville State scored the next eight points to race out to a sizable early lead in set one. Trailing 17-11, the Pirates went on a 9-2 run, and a kill by Loiselle gave them a 20-19 lead and sent the Gamecocks to a timeout. After Jacksonville State tied the score at 20, The Hall scored five of the last six points to complete the comeback. The Hall had a .355 attack percentage in the opening set.

SET 2:
The Pirates again got off to a slow start, but used a lengthy run to take the lead. Down 9-5, The Hall went on a 7-0 run, and a kill by Samantha Shelton (Oak Park, Ill.) put it on top, 12-9. Trailing 16-13, the Gamecocks scored four straight to reclaim the lead, 17-16. Another kill by Loiselle put The Hall back on top again, 20-18, but Jacksonville State rallied again with four straight points to go up, 22-20. Seton Hall staved off one set point, but ultimately succumbed, 26-24, in set two. After a sterling first set, the Pirates had an attack percentage of only .118 in the second.

SET 3:
The Pirates never trailed in set three. Leading 13-10 in the third set, The Hall scored five in a row, and a kill by Clyburn gave it a commanding 18-10 advantage. Alondra Villanueva (Lima, Peru) put Seton Hall in set point, 24-17, and a Gamecocks attack error put set three in the win column for The Hall. Seton Hall had an impressive .429 attack percentage in the third set.

SET 4:
Trailing 6-3 early in set four, Jacksonville State scored four points in a row to take the lead. With the score tied at 14, the Gamecocks scored four straight again to grab an 18-14 advantage. Trailing 21-16, The Hall went on a 6-1 burst to tie the score at 22 and force a Gamecocks timeout. Trailing 23-22, a kill by Villanueva tied the set. An ace by Villanueva put Seton Hall in match point, and a block by Shelton and Horn closed out a 25-23 set-four victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Safian had a team-high 12 kills, a .450 attack percentage and two blocks.
• Clyburn tallied a career-high nine kills, only one attack error, a .500 attack percentage, four blocks and three digs.
• Loiselle finished with 10 kills, only two attack errors and a career-high six blocks.
• Villanueva notched eight kills, nine digs and two aces.
• Nelson had a team-high 12 digs and two aces.
• Adler and Fuller had a team-high 21 assists and four digs apiece.
• Seton Hall recorded a .276 attack percentage for the match, while Jacksonville State attacked at .136.
• The Pirates had 54 kills, while Jacksonville State had 47.
• The Hall tallied 38 digs, while the Gamecocks had 44.
• Seton Hall had 12.0 team blocks, while Jacksonville State had 10.0.

NEWS & NOTES:

• Seton Hall is now a perfect 4-0 on the young season, while Jacksonville State falls to 1-3.
• The Hall has opened the season 4-0 for the first time since 2003.
• This was the first-ever match between Jacksonville State and Seton Hall.
• This was Seton Hall's first four-set match of the season.
• Seton Hall set season-highs in team kills (54), assists (50) and blocks (12.0) against Jacksonville State.

UP NEXT:
The Pirates will return to action tomorrow when it continues play at the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. The Hall will face UNC Asheville at 4:00 p.m.

Pirates Suffer First Loss of 2026; Fall to UNC Asheville​

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Junior Gwen Adler (Barrington, Ill.) had a double-double, but the Seton Hall women's volleyball team fell to UNC Asheville, 3-0 (17-25, 18-25, 17-25), for its first loss of the 2026 season on Saturday.

Seton Hall led in all three sets, but couldn't convert late as the host Bulldogs sent the Pirates to their first loss of the season. The Hall also had a season-low .100 attack percentage compared to .322 for UNC Asheville.

Adler picked up her second double-double in five matches this year with team-highs of 14 assists and 11 digs. Freshman Samantha Shelton (Oak Park, Ill.) had a team-high seven kills. Sophomore Mia Clyburn (Fort Mill, S.C.) had three kills and a team-high five blocks.

SET 1:
A kill by Daria Safian (Moscow, Russia) gave The Hall a 10-8 lead in the opening set, but UNC Asheville rallied with a 5-1 burst to grab a 13-11 advantage. With the score tied at 13, the Bulldogs closed out the set with a 12-4 run. Seton Hall had a .000 attack percentage in the opening frame.

SET 2:
It was close early on in set two, and a kill by Shelton tied the set at 16. UNC Asheville, however, finished the set with a 9-2 run to claim the second frame, 25-18. The Hall's offense was better, but still not what it was last weekend, finishing with a .156 attack percentage.

SET 3:
The Bulldogs largely dominated the third set, using a match-high .429 attack percentage to close out the sweep with a 25-17 victory. Back-to-back kills by Shelton gave The Hall a 9-7 advantage, but UNC Asheville answered with an 11-3 run to take a commanding 18-12 lead. The Hall closed to within 20-16, but the Bulldogs closed out the match with a 5-1 burst.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Adler finished with team-highs of 14 assists and 11 digs.
• Shelton had a team-high seven kills to go with three digs.
• Clyburn had three kills and a team-high five blocks.
• Sophomore Kennedy Horn (Columbus, Ind.) had four kills and four blocks.
• Seton Hall recorded a .100 attack percentage for the match, while UNC Asheville attacked at .322.
• The Pirates had 22 kills, while UNC Asheville had 43.
• The Hall tallied 29 digs, while the Bulldogs had 41.
• Seton Hall had 9.0 team blocks, while UNC Asheville had 6.0.

NEWS & NOTES:

• Seton Hall suffers its first loss of the young season and drops to 4-1, while UNC Asheville improves to 5-1.
• This was the first-ever match between UNC Asheville and Seton Hall.
• The Hall drops to 3-1 in three-set matches this season.
• Adler's double-double is her second of the season and the eighth of her career.
• With 14 assists today, Adler surpassed 600 for her career.
• With three assists today, Emilee Fuller (Louisville, Ky.) surpassed 300 for her career.

UP NEXT:
The Pirates will return to action tomorrow when it concludes play at the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. The Hall will face Western Carolina at 1:00 p.m.

Villanueva, Pirates Rally Past WCU in Five Sets​

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Junior Alondra Villanueva (Lima, Peru) erupted for career-highs of 19 kills and 13 digs, and Gwen Adler (Barrington, Ill.) registered her second-straight double-double as the Seton Hall women's volleyball team rallied past Western Carolina, 3-2 (26-24, 23-25, 22-25, 25-15, 15-6), in the Blue Ridge Classic finale on Sunday.

Down 2-to-1 in sets, the Pirates offense broke out in sets four and five, attacking at .444 and .350 percentages respectively to easily dispatch the Catamounts late and complete the comeback.

Adler finished with 35 assists to go with 11 digs and two aces for her third double-double of the season and the ninth of her career.

Daria Safian (Moscow, Russia) erupted for 18 kills, only four attack errors, a .359 attack percentage, five digs and three blocks in a strong all-around performance. Kennedy Horn (Columbus, Ind.) had a career-high 14 kills, only three errors and a .440 attack percentage.

SET 1:
Down 15-14 at the media break, The Hall scored three straight, and an ace by Emilee Fuller (Louisville, Ky.) put it up, 17-15. Trailing 22-21, kills by Safian and Villanueva put the Pirates in front, 23-22. Another kill by Safian put The Hall in set point, 24-23, but Western Carolina was able to stave off the loss to tie the score at 24. The Hall answered with a block by Villanueva to again put it in set point, and a Catamount attack error gave it a 26-24 victory.

SET 2:
In the second set, an ace by Adler put Seton Hall up, 10-6. Down 15-13, Western Carolina scored four in a row to take a 17-15 lead and force a Seton Hall timeout. A block by Villanueva put the Pirates up, 22-20, but the Catamounts responded with two straight to tie the score and force a Seton Hall timeout. A kill by Villanueva tied the set at 23, but Western Carolina was able to register the last two points of the set for a 25-23 win.

SET 3:
In the third set, a kill by Maddy Loiselle (Tampa, Fla.) gave The Hall a 20-15 lead and forced a Catamounts timeout. Western Carolina, however, rallied out of the break and closed out the set with a 10-2 run.

SET 4:
With the score tied at three early in set four, The Hall went on a 7-1 run, and a block by Loiselle gave it a 10-4 lead and forced an early Western Carolina timeout. A Villanueva kill capped another Pirates' surge of three straight points and hand Seton Hall a commanding 18-9 advantage. The Pirates went on to win set four, 25-15. The Hall had a match-high .444 in the fourth frame. Villanueva had five of her 19 kills in the fourth set alone.

SET 5:
The Hall started quickly in set five, scoring four of the first five points. Western Carolina took an early timeout, but it didn't stop the Pirates momentum. The Hall extended their set-opening run to 10-2 before the Catamounts were forced to take their second stoppage. Leading 13-6, a kill by Samantha Shelton (Oak Park, Ill.) put The Hall in match point, and a Western Carolina attack error completed the Pirates comeback.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Villanueva had a match-high 19 kills to go with 13 digs and two blocks.
• Adler tallied a double-double with 35 assists, 11 digs and two aces.
• Safian had a season-high 18 kills, only four attack errors, a .359 attack percentage, five digs and three blocks.
• Horn notched a career-high 14 kills, three attack errors, a .440 attack percentage, four digs and two blocks.
• Senior Rylee Nelson (Mazeppa, Minn.) had a team-high 21 digs with six assists.
• Fuller finished with 22 assists, seven digs and four aces.
• Freshman Rylee Wooldridge (Mars, Pa.) had a career-high 13 digs.
• Seton Hall recorded a .275 attack percentage for the match, while Western Carolina attacked at .182.
• The Pirates had 71 kills, while Western Carolina had 52.
• The Hall tallied 79 digs, while the Catamounts had 65.
• Seton Hall had 10.0 team blocks, while Western Carolina had 6.0.

NEWS & NOTES:

• Seton Hall improves to 5-1 on the young season, while Western Carolina drops to 2-4.
• This was the first-ever match between Western Carolina and Seton Hall.
• The Hall is now 5-1 to start the season for the first time since 2022.
• This was the first five-set match of the season for Seton Hall.
• Adler's double-double is her third of the season and the ninth of her career.
• Adler reached at least 30 assists in a single-match for the fifth time in her career.
• With 21 digs today, Nelson surpassed 900 for her career.
• It's the second time this season that Seton Hall has collected at least 10.0 team blocks.
• Safian topped 15 kills in a single-match for the first time this season and the fourth time in her career.
• Nelson reached 20 digs in a single-match for the second time this season and the 10th time in her career.
• Seton Hall had 71 team kills. It's the first time the Pirates have topped 70 team kills since recording 73 against Butler on Oct. 27, 2023.

UP NEXT:
The Pirates will return to action on Friday, Sept. 11 when they begin play at the Maryland Invitational in College Park, Md. The Hall will face the Terrapins at 7:00 p.m.