NEW BRITAIN, Conn.— The Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team tallied a season-high 13 aces to fight its way back to a five-set road win at Central Connecticut State on Wednesday evening in New Britain, Conn. 

Miliani Villarreal led the way for the Pios at the line with four aces, while Ryleigh Short, Lauren Hubert and Abbie Hagedorn each had two. Short finished the evening with an 18-kill, 11-dig double-double, her second straight and fifth this season. 

Records:
Sacred Heart: 3-7
CCSU: 1-9

Top Performers:
Ryleigh Short: 18 kills, 11 digs, 2 aces
Miliani Villarreal: 14 digs, 4 aces, 7 assists
Abbie Hagedorn: 7 kills, 12 digs, 2 aces

How It Happened:
After falling in the first set 25-16 and the second set 25-14, the Pioneers offense started to come alive in the third. After trailing 4-3 early on, SHU rallied with five straight points to build an 8-5 lead and to force a CCSU timeout. 

The Blue Devils fought back to tie the match at 11-11 and held a 22-20 advantage late after a 4-1 surge. However, this did not deter the Pios, as the visitors scored the next five points with Brielle Laferriere on the serve. The sophomore put CCSU in numerous tough spots with her serve and tallied one ace to help SHU secure a 25-22 victory. 

The Pios continued to ride the third-set momentum to a strong start in the fourth. An extended 10-1 run guided SHU to an 11-4 lead. Two kills by Short and two aces from Hubert highlighted the surge. CCSU got as close as three for the remainder of the set, 13-10, but a 9-5 run by Sacred Heart propelled the visitors a to 25-16 victory, forcing a fifth set.  

A 4-1 start to the fifth was just what the Pioneers needed, but CCSU answered, quickly tying the score at 5-5. The teams traded points from there until a 4-0 run by SHU had the visitors on the cusp of a comeback. A Central kill set the score at 12-9, but three straight by Sacred Heart iced the exciting win for the Pios. 

Up Next:
The Pioneers will next head to Storrs, Conn., to take part in the UConn Classic. SHU will play twice at the event, beginning with a 1 p.m. tilt against Brown on Saturday, Sept. 20.