Sacred Heart University Department of Athletics
0-7
Stevens Tech
5-1
Fiffh Set Comeback Falls Just Short in SHU's Loss to Stevens Tech
2/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Volleyball
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – A fifth set comeback fell just short as the Sacred Heart men's volleyball team was narrowly defeated by Stevens Tech at the William H. Pitt Center on Friday night. The Pioneers battled back from an opening set loss to take sets two and three, but ultimately fell to 0-7 on the season.
Down 9-5 in the fifth set, Sacred Heart put the pressure on Stevens Tech (5-1) with four of the next five points. A Michael Comens service ace made the score 10-9 before Chris Vaughan answered with a kill. Wesley Blodig put the pressure back on the Ducks as his kill brought the Pioneers back within one, 11-10, but again it was Vaughan with answer, as he paired with Scott Russell for back-to-back kills to eventually help Stevens to the victory.
Comens and Blodig each had new season-highs with 20 and ten kills, respectively, with Comens hitting .410. In his first action of the season, Trent Thompson chipped in with nine kills, while Noah Ricchetti came off the bench to lead the match with 40 assists, more than double his total for the season. Taylor Bloomquist led the SHU with 2.5 blocks.
Swinging .281 for the match, Sacred Heart was .001 percent shy of a its best hitting percentage of the season, but the Pioneers could not match the offensive attack of Stevens Tech's .355 percentage as both teams recorded 55 kills. The Ducks also had also had the edge in digs, 38-25, and blocks, 11-8.
It was Gabe Shankweiler leading the charge for Stevens, as he led the match with 21 kills and ten digs while also hitting a match best .529. Time Ferriter and Vaughan added 14 and 12, respectively.
Sacred Heart begins EIVA play next weekend, welcoming Saint Francis U to the William H. Pitt Center for a 7 pm start.
How it Happened
- First & Second Set– Each team hit over .600 in taking one of the first two sets. Stevens Tech swung .600 in the first, taking the first three points and leading throughout. Back-back-back service aces by Ferriter capped four straight points for a 13-6 lead in an eventual 25-14 win. In the second, it was Sacred Heart leading throughout as the Pioneers hit .632. Early in the set, Doug Dzema's service provided four straight points, the final three of which were Duck errors to make the score 11-5 and help SHU pull away, 25-13.
- Third Set- Sacred Heart carried the momentum from the second set win into the third, taking the first three points and again leading throughout. A Bloomquist kill, Comens service ace and Thompson kill gave the Pioneers a 13-8 lead and after Stevens got as close as three, 16-13, a Dzema service ace capped thee straight points for a 19-13 advantage. The Ducks pulled within two, 23-21, but a Richetti kill halted any momentum as SHU scored two of the final three points.
- Fourth Set- Each team had a major run in the set. Trailing 7-4, Sacred Heart scored six unanswered with a Comens kill putting the Pioneers ahead 11-7. Moments later it was Stevens Tech answering with five in a row, capped by Shankweiler's kill for a 16-13 lead. SHU got as close as one three times, including as late as 18-17, but the Ducks rattled off four straight points to eventually force the fifth, 25-19.
