Box Score BROOKLYN – Despite a .325 hitting percentage as a team, its fourth highest of the season, the Sacred Heart volleyball team closed its 2015 regular season with its second straight loss, falling in five sets at St. Francis Brooklyn on Sunday afternoon. Its fourth loss in the last five matches, SHU ends the regular season 15-13 overall and 9-5 in the Northeast Conference, good for fourth place. As the fourth place team, the Pioneers qualify for the NEC Tournament after missing it in 2014. They will face regular season champion and number one seed LIU Brooklyn, who swept Sacred Heart during the regular season, next Saturday.
SHU appeared to have taken control of the final set, scoring four of the first five points, but St. Francis went on a 4-1 run even the score at five. The two teams would share three ties over the next six points before the Terriers took their first two-point lead at 10-8. The Pioneers tied it with back-to-back kills by Allison Riggs and Sarah Krufka, but Brooklyn took control from there, once again scoring four of the next five for three match points. Consecutive kills form Katie Direnzo staved off the first two, but SFBK finally converted the third with a kill by Domenique Gerrard.
Direnzo was SHU's most efficient hitter, swinging .778 with nine kills and a team-high three block assists. Krufka led the match with 19 kills on .378 hitting, while Karly Shockey chipped in with 10 on .368 hitting. Allison Riggs was right behind those two, hitting .375 en route to nine kills. Kiki Robinson led the match with 30 assists and added a team-high ten digs for her team-leading 12th double double of the season. Ana Gonzalez also had a ten digs.
St. Francis Brooklyn (7-23, 4-10) hit .367 for the match, led by Niehely Sosa's team-high 13 kills on .500 hitting. The Terriers also had an advantage in aces, 13-7, and blocks, 7-3. Also in double figure kills was Maggie Niu and Gerrard, who both hit at least .286 with 11 kills.
Saturday's semifinal will begin at 4 pm. The winner of that match moves on to the 4 pm Sunday championship.
Noteworthy
- Sacred Heart has now made seven of the past nine NEC tournaments.
- The last time SHU played LIU Brooklyn in the tournament was the 2011 NEC Championship, which was also the last time the Pioneers beat them.
- Regardless of result in the tournament. Sacred Heart will still have its first winning season since 2011
- Although this is SHU's fifth two-match losing streak this season, the Pioneers still have not lost there in a row.
How it Happened
- First Set- The teams had seven ties early before the Terriers scored four straight for a 14-10 lead. The lead stayed at four until SHU, who was down 21-17, scored eight of the final nine points, beginning with three Krufka kills in a row. SFBK went back ahead momentarily, 22-21, before Sacred Heart rattled off the final four points.
- Second Set- Trailing by as much as four early, Sacred Heart tied it back up at nine. St. Francis Brooklyn scored the next three points and would lead the rest of the way. SHU got as close as two three times only to have the Terriers answer each instance.
- Third Set- St. Francis Brooklyn answered SHU taking a 9-6 lead with seven of the next nine points to go ahead 13-11. The Pioneers took over from there by scoring four in a row to spark a 9-2 run. There were five Terrier errors in the stretch.
- Fourth Set- Neither team went ahead more than two until SFBK scored three answered to take a 22-18 lead. That was the beginning of a 6-2 run to end the fourth set and force a fifth.
