FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team returns to the road this weekend for three matches at the Steel Classic Tournament, hosted by Lehigh. SHU will play the host Mountain Hawks in the opener on Friday at noon before battling Valpo and NJIT on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. 

NATIONAL RANKINGS CHECK-IN
Through five matches this season, Miliani Villarreal has stood out as one of the busiest liberos in the country. The sophomore ranks 19th nationally in digs per set (5.04) and 25th in total digs (116). She has posted 11+ digs in every match this season, finishing with 22 in SHU's win over LIU at the Sacred Heart Invitational. 

FIRST WIN GRIND
The Pioneers gutted out a five-set win over LIU on Friday to begin the Sacred Heart Invitational. SHU took the first two sets before the pesky Sharks claimed sets three and four to even the match. In the fifth, after a close start that favored LIU, the Pios rallied with an 8-1 surge to build an insurmountable 12-7 lead. Sacred Heart maintained the advantage, sealing a 15-10 win by taking the final three points. First years Abbie Hagedorn and Ryleigh Short led the way for SHU with double-doubles. Hagedorn tallied 13 kills and 17 digs, while Short posted 12 kills and 10 digs.

ACROSS THE NET
SCOUTING LEHIGH

• The Mountain Hawks are soaring heading into this weekend's tournament, as they have won four of their last five matches. 
• In the run, Lehigh swept Fordham, Binghamton and Bellarmine, while winning in four at James Madison.
• The Mountain Hawks' setbacks came against UConn and Princeton. 
• Sophomore libero Sophia Bond has gotten off to a great start to the season, ranking 35th in Division I with 4.67 digs per set. 
• She tallied 20+ digs in two of three matches at the James Madison Tournament. 
• Offensively, junior Alysia Fingall leads the team with 3.38 kill per set. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• The Pioneers and Mountain Hawks have met four times before this weekend, with Lehigh owning a 3-1 lead in the series. 
• SHU's win came on Sept. 3, 2010, at the Sacred Heart Invitational.  

SCOUTING VALPO

• The Beacons are 4-3 through seven matches this season, falling in their last two. 
• Valpo won three bouts in a row before the recent skid, defeating Niagara, Purdue Fort Wayne and Saint Louis in the run. 
• Leading the way for the Beacons is senior libero Emma Hickey, who ranks third in the country in digs per set (5.81) and fourth in total digs (151). 
• Valpo has also gotten defensive success from Lilly Merk, Jessica Pickett and Sam Warren, as all three rank in the top five of the Missouri Valley Conference in blocks. 
• Merk and Pickett each have 32 blocks, while Warren has 28. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• SHU will meet the Beacons for the first time on Saturday morning.

SCOUTING NJIT

• NJIT heads into this weekend's tournament with a 3-4 record after winning its last two matches. 
• The Highlanders are coming off wins against Seton Hall and CCSU at a Seton Hall Tournament last weekend. 
• NJIT lost a pair of bouts to MAAC foe Iona, 3-1 and 3-2, the first of which was a road match. 
• Senior outside hitter Mariana Cova leads the NJIT attack with 64 kills this season, hitting double-digits in four matches. 
• Cova is second on the team in digs with 90, tallying three double-doubles this year. 

ALL-TIME SERIES

• The Pios and Highlanders have met nine times before this weekend, with SHU holding a 5-4 lead in the series that dates back to 2006. 
• NJIT took the most recent contest in 2024, but the Pios took the three bouts prior.