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Sacred Heart University

Sacred Heart University Pioneers
Volleyball Team Lineup
Jayden Hunter

Volleyball Heads to the Empire State for Two This Weekend

10/30/2025 1:40:00 PM

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – A rare three-match week for the Pioneers continues as they head on the road for two weekend matches with both having key implications on the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) standings as the Pioneers head into the final three weekends of the regular season. Sacred Heart will open up the weekend with a Volleyween match-up at Marist on Friday night with first serve set for 7:00 p.m. The weekend will conclude with a Saturday afternoon matinee at Siena which is set for a 2:00 p.m. first serve.

INSIDE THE STANDINGS
With the majority of MAAC teams having six games remaining in the regular season, there is a renewed focus on the league standings with the 12 teams all vying for one of six spots in the upcoming MAAC Championship. The Pioneers currently stand at 5-7 in the MAAC, tied with Marist and Siena just ahead at 6-6. If the regular season were to end today, the Saints would secure the sixth and final spot in the postseason tournament, which makes this weekend's matches critical for all involved.

LEADING LIBERO
Sophomore libero Miliani Villarreal continues to impress in her second season with the Pioneers, as she ranks second in the conference in total digs (414) and second in digs per set (4.55). Last week, Villarreal averaged 5.14 digs per set in a pair of MAAC matches, with 22 against Merrimack, and 14 against Quinnipiac. In the first match of the week against Fairfield, the second-year finished with a team-high seven digs, breaking a streak of 12-straight matches in double figures.  

BIG IN THE MIDDLE
Graduate student Cristina Montanez has been a hitting machine in the last few weeks, hitting .300 or better in nine-straight matches and is currently fourth in the MAAC with a team-high .341 attack percentage with 119 kills and just 26 errors in 273 total attempts. Additionally, she leads the Pioneers with 63 total blocks, including a career-high 10 blocks in a four-set win over Marist.

ACROSS THE NET
SCOUTING MARIST

  • Heading into this weekend, the Red Foxes are 7-17 overall and 5-7 in MAAC play. 
  • The Jaspers have dropped their last four-straight matches, the last three of which have come on the road.
  • In their most recent match, Marist staved off a sweep against Siena by forcing a fourth set in a rare midweek league match.
  • The Saints stand middle of the conference offensively with a .167 hitting percentage as a team, while allowing opponents to hit .268 against them.
  • Leading the Red Foxes attack is junior outside Sara Dasic who enters the weekend seventh in the conference in kills per set with an average of 3.16. In total, she has 243 kills and is third on the team with 24 service aces.

ALL-TIME SERIES

  • With a four-set win over the Red Foxes in the first meeting this season, Sacred Heart evened the all-time series against Marist at 4-4, however the Pioneers remain unbeaten against Marist in MAAC play after taking the first in league play last season in four sets.
  • Prior to last season's win, the Red Foxes had won four-straight against Sacred Heart spanning the 2002 and 2003 campaigns.

SCOUTING SIENA

  • Winners in four sets in the midweek match-up against Marist, the Saints enter the weekend with an 11-15 overall record and a 6-6 mark in MAAC action.
  • Despite being middle of the pack in the conference standings, Siena is second in the league with a .213 hitting percentage, second only to the conference leading Fairfield Stags.
  • Leading the Saints individually is junior right side Doga Diraz who comes into the weekend with 328 total kills, second most in the conference, while she stands fifth in kills per set at 3.16.
  • Defensively, the Saints rely on a pair of players with Berra Tok the leading blocker, and one of three players with 60+ total blocks on the season, as she stands at 72 total on the year. Putting balls back into play has fallen primarily to Alara Doganyuz, who is one of four players with 200+ digs, as she enters the weekend with 227.

ALL-TIME SERIES

  • Sacred Heart and Siena will meet for just the fifth time on Sunday, with the Saints holding a 3-1 advantage in the previous four meetings.
  • The Pioneers won the first two meetings all-time, while Siena swept the lone match last season and took a four-set win in the first meeting this season back in early October.

 

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