Women’s Volleyball Clinches NEC Regular Season Title on Senior Day

Saturday, November 11

Fairfield, Conn.

5:00 PM

Sacred Heart

12-14,11-3NEC

Merrimack College

7-21,6-8NEC

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Merrimack	17	22	17	0
Sacred Heart	25	25	25	3

Photo by: Greg Vasil

Women’s Volleyball Clinches NEC Regular Season Title on Senior Day

11/11/2023 7:59:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

The Pioneers swept Merrimack on Saturday and will host the NEC Tournament

By: Josh Smith

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team celebrated Senior Day in style on Saturday night, sweeping Merrimack to clinch a share of the Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season championship and the top spot in the upcoming league tournament. The Pioneers will now host the NEC Championship on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17-18 at the Pitt Center.

Records:
Sacred Heart: 12-14, 11-3 NEC
Merrimack: 7-21, 6-8 NEC

Top Performers:
Gaby Zovko: 19 assists, 8 kills, 5 digs, 4 aces, 3 blocks
Camryn Luginbuhl: 9 kills, .533 hitting percentage
Dominique Felix: 11 kills, 6 digs, 2 aces, .385 hitting percentage

How It Happened:
After trailing 4-2 early on, the Pioneers stepped on the gas with a 9-0 run to build a commanding 11-4 lead in the first set. Gaby Zovko's serving excellence was the impetus for SHU's run, as she tallied all four of her aces in the match during the stretch. A 4-0 surge later put the Pios up double-figures, 19-8. Despite some action from the Warriors, Sacred Heart held on to take the frame 25-17.

The two teams traded runs to start the second set, as the score sat tied at 8-8 through 16 points. SHU was ahead by four, 16-12, after winning eight of the following 12 points. Merrimack continued to be feisty, tying the score at 17-all and taking a 21-20 lead late in the frame. However, the Pioneers stopped the Warriors in their tracks with a 5-1 run to take the set 25-22.

The third set mirrored the first, as the Pios again surged to a quick advantage, 11-4. Merrimack was ready with an answer, cutting the deficit to one, 15-14, over the next 14 points. A 9-2 surge by the Pioneers proved too much for the rallying Warriors, as SHU put the finishing touches on the sweep with a 25-17 victory.

On Senior Night, Dominique Felix was the Pios' best offensive weapon, as she led Sacred Heart with 11 kills while hitting a stellar .385. Zovko's impressive stat line on the night included 19 assists, eight kills, five digs, four aces and three blocks. Sloane Rooney has hit her stride over the last two matches, as she tallied double-digit assists in both contests with a career-best 17 tonight.

Following tonight's match, SHU celebrated the careers of its six graduating players. Felix, Kate Anderson, Hunter Coppola, Caitlyn Hart, Jessica Foss and Jasmine Rogers were all recognized for their hard work and dedication to the program over their tenures.

Noteworthy:

The Pioneers have won a share of the NEC regular season championship in each of the last two seasons and three times since the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign.
Head Coach Rob Machan has led SHU to at least a share of six NEC regular season titles, while Associate Head Coach Kim Roleder has been on the staff for four of those championships.
The Pios have either won an NEC regular season or tournament championship in each of the last five seasons.

Up Next:
By virtue of owning the tiebreaker over fellow NEC regular-season champ FDU, the Pioneers will host the NEC Tournament at the Pitt Center. SHU's opening match will be against LIU in the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m.