FAIRFIELD, Conn. - For the second straight season, the Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team will be hosting the Northeast Conference (NEC) Women's Volleyball Championship at the Pitt Center. The top-seeded Pioneers open the tournament against fourth-seeded LIU on Friday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. The winner will play the advancing team between second-seeded FDU and third-seeded Saint Francis on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m. in the championship match. 

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OPENING SERVE

• The Pioneers and Sharks will meet for the 54th time this season at Friday's semifinal match.
• SHU has won six straight against LIU and 11 of the last 12.
• The conference tournament features four teams, with the Pioneers claiming the top seed. In addition to SHU, No. 2 FDU, No. 3 Saint Francis and No. 4 LIU will all participate in this season's championship, all four returning from last year's tournament.  
• Sacred Heart ended the regular season on a three-match win streak, sweeping both Stonehill and Merrimack to clinch hosting responsibilities.
• SHU holds a combined 4-2 record against its competitors this weekend, owning a sweep against LIU and splits against FDU and Saint Francis.
• The day before the start of the NEC Championship, the league announced the All-Conference Teams, with four Pioneers making the cut.
• Dominique Felix made the All-NEC First Team for the first time in her career, while Gaby Zovko, Camryn Luginbuhl and Jasmine Rogers all made the Second Team.
• Zovko also won both the Setter and Rookie of the Year awards, joining Pioneer great Sarah Ciszek as the last two players to win both honors in the same season. 

BACK TO BACK
For the second consecutive season, the Pioneers earned at least a share of the NEC regular season championship. The Pios have lost a combined five regular season conference matches in the previous two years, with their record sitting at a stellar 23-5 (82.1%). Sacred Heart has reigned at the top of the conference for a five-year window, as it has either won a tournament or regular season title in each of the last five seasons.

ONE FOR THE THUMB
Since taking over the SHU women's volleyball program in 2007, Head Coach Rob Machan has turned the team into one of the best in the Northeast Conference. Through 17 seasons, Machan owns a 289-210 (57.9%) overall record and a 150-66 (69.4%) mark in conference. His accolades include winning four NEC Tournament Titles (2010, 2011, 2019, 2021) and at least a share of six regular season championships.

PLAYING BEYOND HER YEARS
First year setter Gaby Zovko has been a difference-maker for the Pioneers since she started her collegiate career in 2023. The Bedford, Mass., native is one of just two Pios to start all 26 matches this season, as she ranks in the top three on the team in assists (634), assists per set (7.04), aces (53), digs (223), digs per set (2.48), blocks (63.0) and kills (133). Her service skills have been some of the best in the country in 2023, as she ranks seventh in aces per set (0.59) and 11th in total aces. Zovko's stellar play has not gone unnoticed by the NEC, as she was named Setter and Rookie of the Year and made the All-NEC Second Team. In addition to her end-of-season awards, Zovko also won a whopping 10 NEC Rookie of the Week nods and a Defensive Player of the Week award.

ALL-NEC RECOGNITION
After winning a share of the NEC  regular season championship, the Pioneers saw four players make the All-NEC Teams. Dominique Felix was the lone Pio to make the All-NEC First Team, while Zovko, Camryn Luginbuhl and Jasmine Rogers made the Second Team. Felix collected her first All-NEC First Team honor in 2023 after being named Rookie of the Year and a Second Teamer in 2020-21. Luginbuhl earned her second straight Second Team nod, while Rogers and Zovko both made their first All-NEC appearances.

SCOUTING THE SHARKS
LIU enters Friday's semifinal with an 11-18 overall record and a 9-5 mark in league play to collect the fourth and final spot in the NEC Championship under first year head coach Amable Martinez. The Sharks have won four of their last five matches following back-to-back setbacks to SHU and FDU at the end of October. For the conference season, LIU's five league losses came against its fellow playoff teams as it was swept by SHU and FDU and split with Saint Francis. The Sharks led the way with three All-NEC First Teamers to go along with winning Defensive Player of the Year. Alasha Colon made the First Team after claiming Defensive Player of the Year honors, while Camelia Melendez and Amaris Smith also made the top squad. Colon led the league with 558 total digs — 194 more than her next closest competitor — she consistently ranked amongst the best liberos in the nation all year. She currently ranks eighth in the country in digs per set (5.47) and 16 in total digs (558).

SERIES HISTORY
After sweeping the Sharks this season, the Pioneers won six straights against LIU and 11 of the last 12. Despite domination recently against the Sharks, SHU still trails in the all-time series 19-34. The two matches this season between the Pios and Sharks were very different. The first was a five-set slugfest at LIU, where SHU erased a 2-1 deficit to claim the instant classic. The second was a tightly contested sweep by the Pioneers at the Pitt Center.

VOLLEYBALL STATE
Heading into this weekend, 23 Division I conference tournaments have picked their host sites. The state of Connecticut will be the home of three of them, which ties North Carolina as the state with the most hosting teams. In addition to Sacred Heart, Yale and Fairfield will hold league tournaments in the Nutmeg State this year. The NEC, MAAC and Ivy Tournament will all be held this weekend within 25 miles of each other.