FAIRFIELD, Conn. – A slow start to Friday's Northeast Conference contest at LIU did not deter the Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team. The Pioneers pulled away in fifth set to defeat the Sharks, 3-2 (16-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-17, 15-11).
 
Records:
Sacred Heart: 16-8, 8-1 NEC 
LIU: 10-11, 5-4 NEC
 
Top Performers:
Sarah Ciszek: 41 assists, 12 kills, 17 digs
Brooke Jeffrey: 17 kills, 9 digs
Emma Smallcomb: 30 digs
Jasmine Rogers: 11 kills, 6 digs, 5 blocks
 
Up Next:
The Pioneers stay in Brooklyn to take on St. Francis Brooklyn Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
Of Note:
Sacred Heart ran its winning streak to eight matches.

Tied 6-6 in the fourth set, the Pioneers went on a 9-3 run, that included a pair of kills from both Brooke Jeffrey and Sarah Ciszek, to force a fifth set.
 
In the deciding frame, two Jeffrey kills helped the Pioneers get out to a 5-2 lead it would not relinquish. LIU got within 13-11 but then committed an error and libero Emma Smallcomb came through with an ace to finish off the match.
 
The two teams were nearly identical on the stat sheet with the hosts holding a slight .248-to-.237 hitting advantage despite the Pioneers hitting .364 in the final two sets.
 
Producing her fifth double-double – ranking her number two in the country – was Ciszek with 41 assists to go along 17 digs and 12 kills. Jeffrey led all players with 17 winners while Smallcomb produced a season-high 30 digs.