FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team moved to a perfect 6-0 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play on Friday evening, defeating Saint Francis University in five sets at the Pitt Center. 

Records:
Sacred Heart: 7-10, 6-0 NEC
Saint Francis: 8-9, 3-3 NEC
 
Top Performers:
Gaby Zovko: 26 assists, 9 digs, 8 kills, 4 blocks
Dominique Felix: 8 kills, 15 digs, 5 assists
Cristina Montanez: 9 kills, .692 hitting percentage
 
How It Happened:
The opening set started off close until the Red Flash built a 7-4 advantage through the first 11 points. The Pioneers quickly rallied to build a four-point lead, 14-10, following a 10-3 surge. SHU rode this new momentum to an 11-7 run to end the frame, securing a 25-17 victory in the first. 

After falling 25-12 in the second set, the Pioneers looked to turn things around in a tightly-contested third. Trailing by five, 17-12, late in the frame, a 7-1 run put the home team ahead in the stanza, 19-18. Back-to-back Cristina Montanez kills highlighted the run for the Pios. Sacred Heart widened the margin with subsequent 2-0 and 3-0 pushes, capping it with an exciting dig that turned into a kill for Dominique Felix as she scorpion kicked the ball in play on the SFU side. Hunter Coppola gave the Pios a 2-1 lead in the match by securing a 25-23 win in the third. 

A back-and-forth win by the Red Flash in the fourth, 25-22, sent the match to a decisive fifth set. 

With the contest on the line, the Pioneers started the fifth on fire, taking a quick 7-3 advantage after 10 points to force an SFU timeout. Senior Kate Anderson took over the contest in the fifth, recording four kills in SHU's first seven points. The Pios ended the match by winning eight of the final 10 points to secure the five-set victory.  

Individually, Montanez posted her second-consecutive strong outing, leading the team with a career-high nine kills while hitting a blistering .692. Zovko again finished on the doorsteps of a triple-double with 26 assists, nine digs and eight kills in an all-around effort. In addition to her highlight play, Felix posted a season-high 15 digs, eight kills and five assists.

Up Next:
The Pioneer hit the court again tomorrow at 5 p.m. to close the weekend against Le Moyne. Before the match, Sacred Heart will hoist a banner to commemorate winning the 2022 regular-season NEC Championship.