SPRINGFIELD, MA - The Sacred Heart Men's Volleyball team led by Gian Paolo Pido, Brennan Hoelperl and Petr Beranek delivered a Three Set Sweep to the AIC Yellow Jackets on Friday Night in the Butova Gymnasium.

Records: 

Sacred Heart 1-2

AIC 0-4

Top Performers:

Petr Beranek: 15 kills

Brennan Hoelperl: 21 assists


How It Happened: 

Sacred Heart jumped out to a fast start in the first set, with Alec Niemczyk opening the scoring with a kill to give the Pioneers an early lead. Sacred Heart added points off an AIC bad set and back-to-back attack errors to quickly go up 4–0. Niemczyk and Petr Beranek added additional kills as Sacred Heart extended the lead to 6–0. AIC got on the board, but the Pioneers continued to build momentum, scoring off attack errors and service mistakes while Niemczyk, Beranek, and Jack Krausz kept the offense clicking. Sacred Heart maintained control down the stretch and closed out the first set 25–13.

In the second set, Sacred Heart again jumped out early, taking advantage of an AIC service error and a bad set to lead 2–0. The Pioneers traded points with AIC early but soon pulled ahead with kills from Krausz, Carter Lyons, Jonathan Talbot-Jones, and Beranek. Midway through the set, strong serving, including aces from Lyons and Krausz, helped push the lead to 16–12. AIC tried to rally late, but Sacred Heart answered with timely kills and points off attack and service errors. The Pioneers closed out the second set 25–22 to take a 2–0 lead.

The third set was tightly contested, with both teams trading points early. Sacred Heart earned points off service and attack errors while Niemczyk, Beranek, Neary, and Krausz contributed offensively to keep the score close. The Pioneers used solid net play to gain separation, highlighted by multiple kills from Beranek and points off AIC mistakes. Down the stretch, Sacred Heart maintained momentum and finished strong, taking the third set 25–21 and completing the sweep.

Up Next:

The Pioneers return home tomorrow to face their first D1 opponent in the Manhattan Jaspers in the Pitt Center at 8pm.