NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team swept Iona on the road on Sunday afternoon to move to 2-0 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play.
Camryn Luginbuhl tallied one of the best matches of her career against the Gaels, racking up a three-set program record with 24 kills while hitting an incredible .550 on 40 attempts. Luginbuhl also added 14 digs for her second straight double-double.
Gaby Zovko and
Miliani Villarreal also recorded stellar outings. Zovko tallied 30 assists, five kills and five digs in an all-round performance, while Villarreal came one assist shy of a double-double with 10 digs and nine assists.
Records:
Sacred Heart: 6-8, 2-0 MAAC
Iona: 2-12, 0-2 MAAC
Top Performers:
Camryn Luginbuhl: 24 kills, 14 digs, .550 hitting percentage
Gaby Zovko: 30 assists, 5 kills, 5 digs, 5 aces
Allison Murray: 8 kills, 16 digs
How It Happened:
After a back-and-forth start to the first set, SHU started to pull ahead with a 4-0 run to take a 10-8 lead. Luginbuhl tallied two of the kills in the quick surge. Iona answered with a 3-0 spurt, pulling ahead 14-13 later in the frame. At that point, Sacred Heart put its foot down, winning eight of the following 10 points to go up five, 21-16. The Gaels put together a couple of runs to cut into the deficit, but the Pios were too far ahead, taking the frame 25-22.
SHU started the second set with early 6-0 and 4-0 runs to storm ahead 11-7. Iona answered by cutting the margin to one, 11-10, but the Pioneers went on to win 10 of the next 12 points, building a 21-13 lead. SHU sealed a 25-17 victory with a set-ending 3-0 surge, which featured a pair of Luginbuhl kills.
The Pioneers did not let up the pressure in the third, bursting out to a quick 7-4 advantage. Some back-and-forth play ensured before an 8-2 Sacred Heart run set the lead at seven, 22-15. All the Pios needed to do was trade points from there, as SHU held on to take the frame 25-18, sealing the road conference sweep.
Up Next:
The Pioneers have a rare midweek match against nearby Fairfield on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Stags' Leo D. Mahoney Arena.
