FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team is back at the Pitt Center on Friday-Saturday, Oct. 10-11, for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) weekend against Siena and Marist. Both matches against the Saints and Red Foxes are slated to start at 7 p.m.  

LEADING LIBERO
Sophomore libero Miliani Villarreal continues to impress in her second season with the Pioneers, as she ranks first in the conference in total digs (287) and second in digs per set (4.35). This past week, Villarreal averaged 4.92 digs per set in a trio of MAAC matches, with 24 against Fairfield, 18 against Rider and 22 against Saint Peter's. In SHU's five-set win over the Peacocks, she also added 11 assists for her first double-double of the season. 

MIDDLES WARMING UP
The past week, the duo of Cristina Montanez and Emily Sawyer both came alive for the Pioneers. Montanez tallied 1.00 blocks and 1.64 kills per set, while hitting .516. Sawyer tallied 1.62 kills and 0.54 blocks, while hitting .288. Montanez posted nine kills against Rider and eight kills and seven blocks in the win over Saint Peter's. 

ACROSS THE NET
SCOUTING SIENA

• Heading into this weekend, the Saints are 7-11 overall and 3-2 in MAAC play. 
• Siena owns league sweeps of Saint Peter's, Iona and Manhattan, to go along with losses to Rider and Marist. 
• The Saints last suffered a four-set defeat at UAlbany on Tuesday, winning the first frame before dropping the next three. 
• Siena has employed a balanced offense this season, ranking second in the MAAC in both hitting percentage (.215) and service aces (127). 
• Leading the attack is junior right side Doga Diraz, who ranks second in the conference in kills (3.63) and points per set (4.22). 
• The junior has tallied double-digit kills in six of her last seven matches, hitting above .175 in all of them. 
• Freshman libero has gotten off to a great start to her collegiate career, leading the team and ranking fifth in the conference with 0.39 aces per set. 
• The Oakville, Ontario, native also paces the Saints with 2.75 digs per set. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• SHU will meet the Saints for the fourth time ever on Friday. 
• The Pios took the first two matches before the Saints claimed a sweep in last season's meeting. 

SCOUTING MARIST

• After a rough start to the season, the Red Foxes have hit a stride of late in MAAC play. 
• Marist lost 11 of its first 12 matches but has won five straight heading into this weekend. 
• Following a four-set loss to Rider on Sept. 26, the Red Foxes have beaten Saint Peter's, Siena, Manhattan and Iona in league play to sit at 4-1 in MAAC play. 
• Marist last topped Holy Cross in five sets in a non-conference clash on Tuesday at home. 
• Like Siena, the Red Foxes are challenging at the service line, ranking second in the MAAC in aces per set (1.92) and third in total aces (113). 
• Leading the way at the line is junior libero Cecilia "CC" Potter-Pessoa, who ranks second in the league with 0.56 aces per set. 
• Sara Dasic has been another offensive threat, pacing the team with 3.54 kills per set and a .258 hitting percentage.
• The junior from Lazarevac, Serbia, was just named the MAAC player of the week after averaging 3.91 kills per set to go along with 3.09 digs per set and 0.36 aces per set as Marist went 3-0 this past week.
• First year Mallory Reck was named the conference's Rookie of the Week after tallying 3.45 kills, 2.73 digs, and 0.36 blocks per set to go along with a .220 hitting percentage this past week. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• The Pios will meet the Red Foxes for a seventh time on Saturday, with both teams owning three wins in the series. 
• SHU took last season's meeting in four sets, claiming a win in the first match in the newly renovated Pitt Center.