Hamden, Conn. – Freshman Ryleigh Short was the lone Pioneer to finish in double figures as the Sacred Heart women's volleyball team dropped a four-set decision on the road against the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Saturday evening at Burt Kahn Court.
Short closed out the match with a baker's dozen 13 kills and added to that with 11 digs to complete the double double. In addition, the rookie outside added a trio of service aces while she was targeted a team-high 35 times on the serve.
Following Short on the offensive front was Abbie Hagedorn who finished with nine kills while middle Cristina Montanez added seven. Defensively, Emily Sawyer led Sacred Heart with five blocks while libero Miliani Villarreal led the team with 14 digs.
Record:
Sacred Heart: 8-15, 5-6 MAAC
Quinnipiac: 12-11, 9-2 MAAC
Top Performers:
Ryleigh Short: 13 kills, 11 digs, 3 service aces
Abbie Hagedorn: 9 kills, 6 digs, 2 blocks
Miliani Villarreal: 14 digs
Brielle Laferriere: 26 assists, 6 digs
Emily Sawyer: 5 kills, 5 blocks
How it Happened:
Quinnipiac opened up the match scoring the first six points and maintained that lead throughout the opening set. The Pioneers were unable to put together more than a two-point run down the stretch, falling 25-15.
In the second set, the Pioneers opened up the scoring with a kill from Lauren Hubert and despite some early ties, held onto that lead until late in the set. With Sacred Heart leading 20-16 late, the Bobcats regrouped and went on to close out the set with nine of the final 10 points, including a stretch of eight-straight to take the second set 25-21.
The third set started the same as the second with a Pioneer point, this time however Sacred Heart extended that lead to six early, 9-3. After Quinnipiac whittled that advantage down to two, the Pioneers regain a six-point lead at 20-14 and went on to force a fourth set with a 25-20 victory using back-to-back kills from Sawyer and Hagedorn to secure the set win.
In the fourth set, the Bobcats regrouped to open up play scoring the first four points and just like the opening set never allowed a tie or relinquished that lead throughout. Also just like the opening set, the Bobcats used a nine-point run to extend their lead into double figures at 16-6 before taking the victory 25-12.
Up Next:
Sacred Heart will begin a three-match week with a rare mid-week contest as they welcome the Fairfield Stags to the William H. Pitt Center on Tuesday, October 28. First serve against the MAAC leading Stags is set for 7:00 p.m.
