FAIRFIELD, Conn. The last time Sacred Heart University and Central Connecticut State met on the volleyball court the Pioneers hoisted the Northeast Conference trophy. The two teams open conference play on Tuesday with SHU winning the opening contest 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-21) then posting another sweep in game two 3-0 (25-16, 27-25, 25-15).

Records:
Central Connecticut State: 0-2, 0-2 NEC
Sacred Heart: 3-3, 2-0 NEC

Top Performers:
Olivia Fairchild (SHU): 19 kills (GM1); 9 kills, 5 aces (GM2)
Sarah Ciszek (SHU): 31 assists, 13 digs (GM1); 24 assists, 14 digs (GM2)
Jasmine Rogers (SHU): 6 kills, 9 digs (GM1); 6 kills, 8 digs (GM2)

Up Next:
The Pioneers continue conference action Monday, March 8 with a pair of matches versus Bryant.

Of Note:
CCSU tied the first set of game one on an Emma Henderson kill. Sacred Heart won the next three points thanks to a pair of Blue Devil errors. Kills by Jasmine Rogers and Olivia Fairchild closed out the set.

The serve of libero Emma Smallcomb allowed Sacred Heart to establish a 9-2 advantage it would not relinquish. SHU found itself trailing 18-15 in the third set but used a 5-0 run that included two Dominique Felix kills to grab the advantage. Rianna McNamee and Rogers combined for a block to end the match.

Leading all players was Fairchild as she recorded 19 kills while hitting .368. Setter Sarah Ciszek produced 31 assists and tied libero Emma Smallcomb for the match-high with 13 digs.

CCSU had an early 7-3 lead in the first set of game two, but the Pioneers flipped the set on its head with a 14-1 run that included two Fairchild aces then back-to-back kills from Felis and Ciszek.

Sacred Heart trailed 22-19 in the second set but worked its way back into the match and eventually prevailed thanks to a pair of blocks by Fairchild and Reghan Palanchi. Fairchild ripped a trio of aces early set three to build a 12-3 SHU lead.

Fairchild was the top offensive player once again, recording nine kills to go along with five aces. Ciszek had another double-double with 24 assists and 14 digs while Smallcomb added 17 digs. Palanchi had 10 blocks.