FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team fell to crosstown rival Fairfield in its home-opening match on Thursday evening at the Pitt Center. 
 
Records:
Sacred Heart: 0-3
Fairfield: 3-1
 
Top Performers:
Gaby Zovko: 25 assists, 10 digs
Camryn Luginbuhl: 9 kills, 6 digs
Jasmine Rogers: 22 digs
 
How It Happened:
The Stags stormed out of the gates early to go ahead 7-1 after the first eight points. A 6-0 run a few points later strengthened the Fairfield lead, as the visitors took the opening set by a 25-13 final score. 

SHU opened the second set by taking an early 6-2 lead. In the early stretch, Camryn Luginbuhl started a 4-0 run by the home team with a powerful kill, while Kate Anderson capped it with a strong spike of her own. The Pios kept the lead for the following few points until a 5-0 run by the visitors gave them a 15-13 advantage. 

The Pios did not let the Stags hold the lead for long, as they won six of the next eight points to go ahead 19-17. Unfortunately for Sacred Heart, Fairfield again rallied, going on a 5-1 run to take a 22-20 lead. The Pioneers immediately answered with a 4-0 surge to force a pair of set points, but the Stags scored three straight to take a 25-24 lead. SHU held off the visitors' first set point, but back-to-back points by Fairfield sealed a 27-25 victory. 

The third set started closely, with neither team building a lead larger than two until Fairfield took a 7-4 advantage. The Pios' deficit grew after a 6-1 Stags push gave the visitors a 13-5 lead. From that point, Fairfield never looked back on its way to winning the set 25-15 to seal a 3-0 victory. 

First year setter Gaby Zovko tallied another noteworthy performance this evening, finishing with 25 assists and 10 digs for her second double-double in just three matches. Luginbuhl led the Pios' offense with nine kills, while Lauren Harrell was not far behind with seven. Defensively, Jasmine Rogers paced all players with a season-best 22 digs. 

Up Next:
Sacred Heart will continue home play tomorrow evening when it welcomes UMBC for a 6 p.m. showdown at the Pitt Center.