FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The fifth-seeded Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team kicks off Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament play on Thursday, Nov 21, with a first round matchup against No. 8 Iona. The four-day event will take place at Siena's UHY Center in Loudonville, N.Y.

SHU VS IONA MATCH INFORMATION 
Sacred Heart vs Iona – Thursday, Nov. 21; 4:00 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers split a pair of matches this past weekend, sweeping Saint Peter's before falling to Rider in four sets. In the match against the Broncs, Camryn Luginbuhl passed Associate Head Coach Kim Roleder to take sole possession of the single-season kills record with 498 this season. With at least one match to go, she is poised to become the first player in SHU volleyball history to tally 500 kills in a season. 

BACK IN THE PLAYOFFS
The Pioneers are no strangers to playoff volleyball, as they have made the Northeast Conference Tournament in each of the last five seasons that it was contested. In the NEC, SHU won four tournament titles (2010, 2011, 2019, 2021), playing in four NCAA Tournament matches. 

ALL-MAAC HONOREES
In their first season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), the Pioneers were well represented in the league's postseason awards, which were announced Wednesday. Standout first year Milani Villarreal was named the MAAC Rookie of the Year and made the All-Rookie Team, while Camryn Luginbuhl and Gaby Zovko both made First Team All-MAAC. Villarreal has won an outstanding 10 weekly honors from the conference, eight Libero of the Week nods and two Rookie of the Week awards. She ranks second in the MAAC to Libero of the Year Bella Peroni of Niagara with 4.75 digs per set. Luginbuhl paces the conference in total kills (498), kills per set (4.43), total points (524.0) and points per set (4.94). Zovko is a do everything player, finishing the year with four triple-doubles and leading the league in total assists (876) and aces (53).

RECORD WATCH
Luginbuhl continued to make history in Sunday's regular-season finale, as she passed Associate Head Coach Kim Roleder (497) on the program leaderboard for kills in a season, finishing the match with 498 on the year. Zovko is also on the cusp of making history as her 57 aces is five shy of tying Ashlyn Trimble's record of 62 set in 2009. Zovko is no stranger to this list, as she tallied 54 as a first year last season, which is now third on the single-season leaderboard. 

LOOKING ACROSS THE NET
Iona

• The Gaels are 10-20 overall this season and are the eighth seed in the MAAC Tournament with an 8-10 league record. 
• Iona only owns two wins over two playoff teams this season, defeating Niagara and Merrimack in home matches in New Rochelle, N.Y.
• The Pioneers will have to contend with sophomore middle blocker Buse Tinaz at the net, as she ranks third in the MAAC with 1.13 blocks per set. 
• Senior outside hitter Kenzie Wiggins leads the offense with 269 kills (2.83/set) and 293.5 points (3.09/set). 
• Wiggins also paces the team with 236 digs (2.48/set) this season. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• The Pioneers and Gaels have met 17 times before Thursday's playoff opener. 
• Iona paces the all-time series 13-4, but Sacred Heart has won each of the last four matches. 
• SHU swept the Gaels in September, winning 25-22, 25-17, 25-18.

Match	First Round - Thursday, November 21	Time
Match 1	No. 5 Sacred Heart vs. No. 8 Iona	4:00 p.m.
Match 2	No. 6. Niagara vs. No. 7 Merrimack	7:00 p.m.
Match	Second Round - Friday, November 22	Time
Match 3	No. 4 Canisius vs. Winner Match 1	4:00 p.m.
Match 4	No. 3 Rider vs. Winner Match 2	7:00 p.m.
Match	Semifinal Round - Saturday, November 23	Time
Match 5	No. 1 Fairfield vs. vs. Winner Match 3	1:00 p.m.
Match 6	No. 2 Quinnipiac vs. Winner Match 4	4:00 p.m.
Match	Championship Match - Sunday, November 24	Time
Match 7	Winner Match 5 vs. Winner Match 6	1:00 p.m.