ORANGEBURG, N.Y. — The Sacred Heart University Men's Volleyball Team defeated the Dominican University (N.Y.) Chargers in five sets making the 2-0 comeback on Friday night at the Hennessy Center.
Records:
Sacred Heart (4-2)
Dominican (2-5)
Top Performers:
Zach Flynn - 23 kills
Joshua Krzikalla- 13 kills
Kristofers Klavins: 35 assists
How It Happened:
Sacred Heart traded points with Dominican in a tight opening set. Alec Niemczyk and Brennan Hoelperl helped the Pioneers stay even early with kills. The score moved back and forth to 7–7 before Phinehas Wiley of the Chargers delivered a service ace to give Dominican a brief edge. Sacred Heart answered right away, with Niemczyk and Hoelperl combining for another kill to keep the set even.
As the set moved into the middle stages, neither team could pull away. Jack Krausz and Hoelperl added key kills for the Pioneers, while Dominican continued to answer. The score remained knotted through the teens, with service errors on both sides preventing momentum from building. At 24-22, Zach Flynn delivered three consecutive kills to keep the Pios alive. Dominican responded with back-to-back kills from Phinehas Wiley to regain control, forcing Sacred Heart to use a timeout. The teams continued to trade points, pushing the set beyond regulation.
With the score tied at 27–27, Alec Niemczyk came through with a clutch kill off a Hoelperl set to give the Pioneers the advantage. After a Pioneer service error, the Chargers secured the first set 29–27.
In Set 2, the Pios found themselves chasing early in the second set as Dominican jumped out in front behind a quick kill and then built momentum with a strong serving run. The Pioneers got on the board when Dominican committed an attack error, but the Chargers continued to apply pressure to stretch the lead. Sacred Heart answered with kills from Jack Krausz and Joshua Krzikalla to slow the run, but Dominican stayed in control through the middle of the set, using consistent offense and taking advantage of a few Sacred Heart service errors to push the margin into double digits.
Midway through the set, the Pioneers showed some fight. Krausz and Krzikalla teamed up for back-to-back kills, and Sacred Heart picked up another point off a Dominican service error to close the gap slightly. However, Dominican responded immediately with a strong push of its own, highlighted by multiple kills from Phinehas Wiley, along with another point coming off a Sacred Heart service error. Down the stretch, Sacred Heart continued to battle, with Krzikalla adding another kill late, but Dominican closed the set with consecutive points at the net to take it 25–21.
The third set opened with a back-and-forth battle as Sacred Heart and Dominican traded points through the early stages. Gian Paolo Pido and Krzikalla helped set the tone for the Pioneers, while Alec Niemczyk added a key kill to keep the score tight. Dominican countered with steady offense from Ayden Shaw and Wiley, and the set featured multiple ties as neither team could build momentum. Strong setting from Kristofers Klavins helped Sacred Heart stay balanced, while the Pioneers also picked up points by forcing Dominican attack errors.
As the set moved into the later stages, the intensity picked up. Brennan Hoelperl and Krausz delivered timely kills to keep Sacred Heart within striking distance, and the score remained knotted into the low 20s. Dominican answered behind Jackson Shaw, pushing the set to a tense finish. After the teams were tied late, Sacred Heart closed the frame with back-to-back points off the hands of Austin Buchanan at the net to take the third set, 25–23.
The fourth set was another tightly contested frame, with both teams trading points from the opening serve. Sacred Heart got early contributions from Krzikalla and Flynn, while Niemczyk added a kill to keep the Pioneers level. Dominican answered behind Wiley, and the score stayed close through the early and middle portions of the set, with several ties as neither side could create separation. Strong blocking on both sides and a mix of service errors kept the momentum swinging back and forth.
Late in the set, the intensity rose as the teams moved late into the set. Sacred Heart stayed poised with timely kills from Krzikalla and Krausz, while Dominican responded with clutch swings of Jackson Shaw. The score was tied at 25–25 after a late run by the Pioneers, forcing extended play. Sacred Heart, however, closed the set with two straight points from Petr Beranek and Flynn at the net to earn a 27–25 win and force a fifth set.
The Pios came out strong in the fifth set and quickly took control. Petr Beranek opened the scoring with a kill, and Klavins followed with a service ace to give the Pioneers early momentum. Krzikalla then took over at the net, recording three straight kills off sets from Klavins to stretch the lead to 9–3 and force a Dominican timeout. The Pioneers continued to pressure Dominican with steady serving and clean swings, while capitalizing on a few attack errors to build a comfortable cushion.
Down the stretch, Sacred Heart never let up. Krzikalla added another kill, and Buchanan and Flynn chipped in with key points as the Pioneers pushed the score into double digits. Dominican struggled to regain rhythm, committing multiple service and attack errors late in the set. Sacred Heart closed out the decisive frame 15–5, sealing the match in dominant fashion.
Of Note:
Up Next:
Sacred Heart will face the Dominican Chargers again on Saturday, January 31th at 7:00 pm in the Pitt Center
