FAIRFIELD, Conn.— The Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team fell to visiting Rutgers, 3-0, on Saturday evening inside the William H. Pitt Center on the second day of the SHU Invitational.

Records:
Sacred Heart: 1-4
Rutgers: 3-2

Top Performers:
Ryleigh Short: 8 kills, two blocks
Ava Roodbol: 12 assists, 3 kills, 5 digs
Miliani Villarreal: 14 digs

How It Happened:
Ryleigh Short led the Pioneers (1-4) with eight kills, two blocks, and 9.5 points. Setter Ava Roodbol dished out 12 assists to go along with three kills and five digs, while libero Miliani Villarreal paced the back row with a team-high 14 digs. Lauren Hubert contributed five kills, five digs, and a service ace, and Abbie Hagedorn added three kills, six digs, and an ace.

Sacred Heart hung tough early in the opening set, with six ties and three lead changes. Sacred Heart pulled even at 15–15 after a service ace from Hubert and a kill by Short, but the Scarlet Knights responded with a late 10–3 run to take the frame, 25–18.

In the second set, Rutgers established control early, building a 9–4 advantage and forcing the Pioneers to play from behind. SHU was able to pull within four, 11-7 but Rutgers was able to extend its lead to claim the 25–17 win.

The third set saw the Pioneers jump out to a 3–0 lead behind an ace from Hagedorn and a Hubert kill. However, Rutgers quickly answered with a 7–2 run and never trailed again. Despite kills from Short and Sawyer, the Scarlet Knights closed out the match with a 25–16 victory.

Sacred Heart finished with 24 kills, four aces, and five blocks, while Rutgers hit .273 with 38 kills and 12 blocks.

Up Next:
The Pioneers will wrap up the SHU Invitational on Sunday, September 7, at 3:00 pm against Dartmouth.