Let’s Dance! Pioneers Draw #2 Texas in NCAA Tournament
11/28/2021 10:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Pioneers and Longhorns open tournament on Thursday.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- A week after claiming its third-straight Northeast Conference championship, the Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team learned its first round opponent in the NCAA Tournament. The Pioneers are traveling to Austin, Texas to take on second-seeded University of Texas.
The first round contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. (CDT) Thursday at Gregory Gymnasium on the UT campus. San Diego and Rice will play the other match in the Austin Regional.
"We're excited about the opportunity to play at Texas," head coach Rob Machan said. "They are historically one of the best teams in the nation every year and it's a great chance for our women to compete against the best the tournament had to offer."
This will be the fourth NCAA appearance for the Pioneers. The last visit came in 2019 when SHU lost at Baylor. Previous opponents include Stamford (2011) and Nebraska (2010).
Sacred Heart earned its bid to the NCAA Tournament by defeating Bryant, 3-1, in the finals of the NEC Tournament. The Pioneers are coming into the tournament with a 19-9 mark.
Leading the Pioneers is four-time NEC Setter of the Year Sarah Ciszek. The 5-foot-10 senior is second in the country with seven triple doubles. A native of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Ciszek leads the NEC with a .360 hitting percentage to go along with 8.88 assists per game.
Ciszek was joined on the First-Team All-NEC by right side Olivia Fairchild. This season she's averaging a team-high 2.66 kills per set while hitting .284, which rates fifth in the league. Junior middle blocker Reghan Palanchi was a Second-Team All-NEC selection after averaging 1.07 blocks per set and 1.92 kills per set.
The first round contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. (CDT) Thursday at Gregory Gymnasium on the UT campus. San Diego and Rice will play the other match in the Austin Regional.
"We're excited about the opportunity to play at Texas," head coach Rob Machan said. "They are historically one of the best teams in the nation every year and it's a great chance for our women to compete against the best the tournament had to offer."
This will be the fourth NCAA appearance for the Pioneers. The last visit came in 2019 when SHU lost at Baylor. Previous opponents include Stamford (2011) and Nebraska (2010).
Sacred Heart earned its bid to the NCAA Tournament by defeating Bryant, 3-1, in the finals of the NEC Tournament. The Pioneers are coming into the tournament with a 19-9 mark.
Leading the Pioneers is four-time NEC Setter of the Year Sarah Ciszek. The 5-foot-10 senior is second in the country with seven triple doubles. A native of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Ciszek leads the NEC with a .360 hitting percentage to go along with 8.88 assists per game.
Ciszek was joined on the First-Team All-NEC by right side Olivia Fairchild. This season she's averaging a team-high 2.66 kills per set while hitting .284, which rates fifth in the league. Junior middle blocker Reghan Palanchi was a Second-Team All-NEC selection after averaging 1.07 blocks per set and 1.92 kills per set.
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