STORRS, Conn. – In a battle of the last two undefeated teams at the UConn Invitational, Sacred Heart University women's volleyball suffered its first loss of the 2024 season, falling to the hosting Huskies on Sunday afternoon.

For the third straight match, first year Miliani Villarreal led the Pioneers in digs, finishing with 13 against UConn. Camryn Luginbuhl paced the Sacred Heart offense with 11 kills, her third straight contest with double-digit kills. 

Gaby Zovko continued her strong to the season with 17 assists on the team's 27 kills, with six kills of her own and seven digs. 

Records:
Sacred Heart: 2-1
UConn: 3-0
 
Top Performers:
Gaby Zovko: 17 assists, 7 digs, 6 kills, .375 hitting percentage
Camryn Luginbuhl: 11 kills, 5 digs, 2 blocks
Miliani Villarreal: 13 digs, 4 assists
 
How It Happened:
UConn took a hard-fought first set, 25-23. The Pioneers held the advantage early, going up by as much as six, 14-8. SHU remained ahead late in the frame, holding a 20-16 advantage before a Huskies' rally brought things closer. UConn ended the frame on a 9-3 run to take the opening set. 

Unfortunately for the Pioneers, they were unable to bounce back in the second and third sets. SHU ended up dropping the second 25-15 and the third 25-16 to suffer the straight-set defeat. 

Up Next:
The Pioneers next head to Seton Hall Classic, opening the event against the hosting Pirates on Friday, Sept. 6, at 3 p.m. in South Orange, N.J.