The Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team swept Long Island University in the Northeast Conference Tournament semifinal in Moon Township, Pa. Saturday night. The Pioneers improve to 19-11 on the year and advance to face Central Connecticut State University in the championship match, Saturday afternoon.

Sarah Ciszek and Liisel Nelis led the Pioneer effort Friday. Ciszek finished with a .444 hitting percentage, nine kills, 32 assists and eight digs. Nelis had a double-double, with 11 kills and 11 digs.

SHU is playing in its third NEC Campionship in the past four seasons. The Pioneers swept CCSU during the regular season, by indentical 3-1 schools. The Blue Devils upset top-seeded Robert Morris, 3-2, in the first semifinal

Turning Point:

• With the Pioneers trailing 15-13 in the final set, Ciszek took over the match, with six assists, four kills and a block, to spur a 12-6 run
• In the second set, the Pioneers trailed 14-12 before Julia Murawinski and Reghan Palanchi went back-to-back with kills and Lillian Vargo followed with an ace to give SHU at 15-14 lead that it would not relinquish

By The Numbers:

• Scioletti had four blocks, two solo, and set the single-season block record in the process (106)
• The Pioneers finished with 9.0 team blocks
• SHU hit .291 for the match, with a .333 effort in the first set
• Makayla Dole and Murawinski both had eight kills
• SHU held the Sharks to .111 hitting
• Jasmine Rogers notched 10 digs and five assists for the Pioneers
• Anastasia Scott finished with 10 digs for the Sharks, who had three players with seven kills apiece 

First Set: SHU 25, LIU 15

• The Pioneers jumped out early, taking a 7-2 lead, with four early kills
• SHU would not allow the Sharks closer than three the rest of the way, the last time at 8-5
• The Pioneers scored eight of the next 10 points, including a block form Reghan Palanchi and Liisel Nelis to open a 16-7 advantage
• SHU led by as many as 10 in the closing points, and Murawinski gave SHU the opening set with a kill

Second Set: SHU 25-19

• LIU scored the first three points of the second-set and built an 11-7 advantage on a Miranda Strongman kill
• Three consecutive errors brought the Pioneers within a point, 11-10
• After kills from Kora Schaberl and Darragh Dixon made it 13-10, Makayla Dole and Reghan Palanchi blocked Fleur Wiersma
• Wiersma had a kill on the next point, to give LIU a 14-12 advantage
• Murawinski and Palanchi went back-to-back with kills to tie the match, and a Lillian Vargo ace gave the Pioneers a 15-14 lead at the media timeout
• Out of the break, SHU scored three of four points, with two Dole kills, to open an 18-15 advantage
• LIU earned three consecutive points to get within a point, 18-17, but were not able to draw even
• Nelis gave SHU the 20^th point and Ciszek and Scioletti combined on a block to make it 21-17
• Another Nelis kill gave SHU the 22-17 edge, and forced a LIU timeout
• Ciszek recorded two kills in the final four points of the set for the win

Third Set: SHU 25, LIU 31

• LIU began with a run once again, opening a 7-4 lead and led by as many as five points, 11-6 after a Pioneer hitting error
• Nelis started a 5-0 run with a kill, to draw the Pioneers even
• The match was tied at 12-12 and 13-13
• LIU scored the next two points, taking a 15-13 lead to the media timeout
• The Sharks still held the two-point advantage at 16-14 on a Miranda Strongman kill
• Palanchi started the Pioneers match winning run with a kill
• That was followed by back-to-back kills from Ciszek, giving the Pioneers their first lead, 17-16
• Wiersma tied the score for the Sharks, but Nelis sandwiched kills around a Ciszek kill to put SHU in front 20-17
• After a timeout Ciszek and Scioletti combined for a block and the four-point edge
• Ciszek fed Murawinski and Dole to give SHU match point
• LIU fended off the first match-point, but Scioletti hammered home a Ciszek pass for the win