DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Suffers Narrow Loss to Seton Hall
11/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Chelsea Thurlby dominated defensively, protecting the floor with a career-best 21 digs. Three additional student-athletes eclipsed double digit dig totals including Christy Landschoot (18), Sarah Cullen (13), and Lauren Blasi (13), to bring the team total to a season-high 84. At the net, Molly Creek stopped the Pirate attack with a career-best seven block assists.
Offensively, Carney had help from Lauren Blasi, who produced 12 kills, while Cullen tagged on an additional 14. Christy Landschoot ran the floor with 50 assists, which ties Sammy Geiger's 50 assists against Western Illinois earlier this year, for a season-high. Landschoot also added five kills behind a .455 clip.
From the very first serve, both teams fought intensely for every single point, as the score read even on 28 occasions while the lead was traded nine times. In the first frame, DePaul hit for a strong .300 attack percentage compared to Seton Hall's .262 clip, but the precision service from Meghan Matusiak proved to be the difference maker in the 25-21 decision. She accounted for three of the Pirates' four service aces, including the game one winner. Carney starred for DePaul, slapping down four kills and no attack errors.
DePaul showed its mental toughness in the second frame, and continued to be aggressive at the net. The Blue Demons terminated the ball 16 times on 30 attempts without a single attack error to set a season-high .533 attack percentage. Setting the offensive rhything, Carney, Blasi, and Landschool recorded four kills apiece. DePaul never allowed Seton Hall into the game, sprinting out to a 15-10 lead. Following a Pirate timeout, the Blue Demons continued to surge forward, stringing together a 6-3 run to prompt Seton Hall to attempt to break up the momentum once again with its second timeout. Landschoot put the final point away with a kill to give DePaul the tie going into the intermission.
Momentum continued to fall in the Blue Demon's favor, as they controlled the tempo of the third stanza to lead nearly the entire game. Seton Hall continued to battle, however, and used a 6-4 run to erase a five-point deficit. The Pirates came through on two set-points to knot the score at 24 before DePaul took the 2-1 lead with a Carney kill and a service ace from Katherine Knutson. Carney finished the frame with six kills while Blasi tallied four.
Neither team was able to claim a decisive lead in the fourth set, as the score was tied 11 times while the lead was traded on five occasions. Carney continued to be the go-to hitter, as she hit an impressive .429 (7-1-14). Cullen fell just behind her with six kills and a .385 clip. With the score tied at 20, the Pirates used a 4-1 run to set up game-point, but the Blue Demons were able to come within one following back-to-back kills from Cullen. Despite the heroic effort, Sarah Osmun closed the door with a put away to force a fifth game.
The fifth set mirrored the fourth, as leads continued to be exchanged following multiple tie scores. Behind 9-10, Cullen slammed down her 14th kill of the match to knot things up once again at 10. Three more Seton Hall kills would give them the 14-12 advantage, and they sealed the victory after forcing a DePaul error at the net.
The Pirates were paced by Osmun, who recorded 18 kills, while Allie Matters contributed 17 digs. Olivia Trudeau managed the offense with 54 assists.
The Blue Demons hit the road next weekend, traveling to the East Coast to face Syracuse on Friday, Nov. 6, before returning to the Midwest on Sunday to go up against Marquette. DePaul volleyball returns to Lincoln Park on Nov. 13 and 15 for the final two matches of the regular-season.
Noting the Blue Demons
Chandler Carney followed up her career-high 13 kills against Rutgers on Saturday with 25 against Seton Hall... Sarah Cullen leads the team with 278 kills and and 279 digs... Christy Landscoot dished out 50 assists against the Pirates to set a new season-high...Cullen has registered a double-double (kills-digs) in nine matches this season bringing her career total to 36... other Blue Demons to record a double-doubles include Christy Landschoot (assists-digs) and Sammy Geiger (kills-assists)... Kate Letcher has surpassed the 10-kill total eight times this season... Sarah Cullen has reached double figures in digs during 16 matches this season to lead the squad, while Chelsea Thurlby has reached the plateau 13 times... while Rachel Aumann tops the overall blocks total with 40, Chandler Carney has recorded an impressive eight solo blocks... Seton Hall leads the all-time series 5-0.
