FAIRFIELD, CONN. – A fourth-set rally propelled the Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team to a win in its Northeast Conference opener on Friday. The Pioneers downed LIU, 3-1 (25-19, 25-21, 23-25, 28-26), at the Pitt Center.
 
Records:
Sacred Heart: 7-7, 1-0 NEC
LIU: 5-8, 0-1 NEC
 
Top Performers:
Camryn Luginbuhl: 17 kills, 14 digs
Sarah Ciszek: 50 assists, 9 kills, 8 digs 
Jasmine Rogers: 15 kills, 11 digs
Reghan Palanchi: 12 kills, 8 blocks
 
Up Next:
The Pioneers welcome St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday at 7 p.m.
 
Of Note:
LIU had two chances to force the match into a fifth set with a pair of set points. From there, middle blocker Reghan Palanchi took over the match. She recorded four of her 12 kills in the final five points including the last two as the Pioneers took the third set 28-26.
 
A Jasmine Rogers' kill sparked a 5-0 run in the first set to give the Pioneers a 20-16 advantage. SHU built a 22-17 lead on kills from Sarah Ciszek and Camryn Luginbuhl, but the Sharks fought back to within 22-20. Kate Anderson and Rogers came through with back-to-back kills to win the set.
 
Sacred Heart got seven or more kills from five players, topped by Lughinbuhl's match-high 17 winners. Rogers followed with 15 and added 11 digs for her second double-double. 
 
SHU's defense was the difference as the Pioneers had a 70-49 advantage in digs. In a battle of two of the top liberos in the NEC, Emma Smallcomb came out on top with 25 digs compared to 16 from her LIU counterpart.