LORRETTO, Penn. – The Sacred Heart women's volleyball team completed its annual Northeast Conference Pennsylvania trip with a sweep of Saint Francis U on Sunday afternoon. SHU's rolled in the first two sets, 25-17, 25-12, before a 25-20 third set clinched the Pioneers sixth straight win as they remain a perfect 5-0 in NEC play and improve to 11-6 overall. 

Six different Pioneers recorded at least five kills, led by Tori Kemper and Karly Shockey with eight each, as Sacred Heart outhit the Red Flash .236-.011. Kemper also added a match-high 13 digs, her second highest of the season, while the eight kills were a new three-set high for Shockey. Sarah Krufka added seven kills on .583 hitting, while Katie Direnzo had a perfect hitting match with five kills. 

Maddie Losure led the match with five block assists, while Lea Lieb set a new high for assists in a three set match with 20. Ana Gonzalez also set a new three-set high with 10 digs. 

Sacred Heart hosts three-time defending NEC champion LIU Brooklyn in a primetime match next Saturday at 7 pm.

Noteworthy

• This is Sacred Heart's fourth three set victory of the season, while the Pioneers have only been swept once.
• SHU has not won five straight matches to open the NEC season since 2011, when the Pioneers won their first six.
• The six match-winning streak is the longest since a nine match run in October-November 2011.

How it Happened

• SHU took its third two-point lead when back-to-back kills by Kemper and Direnzo made it 13-11. After SFU tied it back up at 13, the Pioneers scored four points in a row, started by a kill from Bruna Bon, to ultimately pull away. The Red Flash would get no closer than three points the remainder of the set.
• Tied at five, Sacred Heart scored seven of the next eight points to take a 12-6 lead and the Pioneers would never look back. Kemper, Direnzo, Shockey, and Bon all recorded kills before the run was capped by two straight Red Flash errors.
• Once again, Sacred Heart made its big run with the set tied at five, scoring four unanswered and seven of the next eight points. Saint Francis U would storm back with five points in a row to get as close as two, 19-17, but the Pioneers would halt any momentum and potential for a fourth set with five consecutive points of their own. Those five points included four SFU errors before a Shockey kill capped it.