FAIRFIELD, CONN. (January 23, 2015)--The Sacred Heart men's volleyball team battled the No. 11 IPFW Mastodons in a hotly contested five-set match Friday night in the William H. Pitt Center. The Pioneers captured the second set 28-26 and the fourth 25-17 to force a decisive fifth set. Sacred Heart played well, but the Mastodons escaped with the victory.  The loss drops the Pioneers to 1-1 on the season, while IPFW improves to 3-2.

The Pioneers totaled more kills than the Mastodons (64-60), but errors plagued SHU throughout the match. Red-shirt senior Enzo Mackenzie (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) led the team with 16 kills, while classmate Ray Satagaj (Rocky Hill, Conn.) posted an errorless match hitting .533 (8-15).

The Pioneers looked sharp early, jumping out to a 4-1 lead after opening the set with an ace from Mackenzie. IPFW responded and leveled the score at 6 all. The score remained close from then on with three lead changes. With the score tied at 15, IPFW would go on a three-point run that forced the Pioneers into taking a timeout. After the quick break, SHU inched its way back cutting the Mastodons' lead to 21-19 late causing IPFW to take a timeout. The Pioneers would then take another timeout with the score at 20-23 in favor of IPFW. Sacred Heart managed one more point, but the Mastodons took the first set 25-20. 

The Pioneers once again came out hot to start the set, taking a 6-2 lead. This set Sacred Heart would keep the momentum rolling and maintain a healthy lead throughout. With the score at 15-9, the Mastodons capitalized on three consecutive SHU errors to minimize the Sacred Heart's lead to two, 15-13. The Pioneers refused to give up the lead as kills from Austin Arcala (Long Beach, Calif.), Mackenzie, who led the set with five kills, and Doug Dzema (Manalapan, N.J.) put SHU back on track earning a 21-17 lead. The Mastodons would not go away quietly though, and Sacred Heart took a timeout while leading 24-22 to regroup. The break couldn't calm down SHU as hitting errors tied the score at 24. The teams exchanged points before a Mastodon service error put SHU up 27-26. Satagaj clinched the set sending down a kill for the 28-26 win. Eduardo Zardo (Brasillia, Brazil) provided sixteen assists in the extended set on his way to 56 total.

With the overall sets level at one, both teams sought to come out and establish a lead in the third set. However, neither side could pull away. With the scored tied at seven, the Pioneers managed to create separation and take a 14-10 lead. SHU maintained its lead throughout the majority of the set, but IPFW quietly worked its way back and knotted the score at 21 on Pioneer attack error. The Mastodons would continue on a run of six unanswered points to rip the set away from the Pioneers. Sacred Heart could not stop IPFW late in the set and ultimately lost it, 21-25. 

The fourth set started much like the third. There were constant lead changes and tied scores. With the scored even at six, Satagaj sparked a six-point run as the Pioneers found a way to generate separation again to take an 11-6 lead. Off of two kills by Trent Thompson (Kailua, Hawaii), the Pioneers extended their lead to 16-10. With a big service ace from Mackenzie, SHU maintained their six point advantage, 21-15. The rookie Thompson clinched the 25-17 win for Sacred Heart with a kill and a service ace. The Pioneers never saw their lead dwindle in the fourth set and took the country's No. 11 team to five.

With the match now set to go the distance, both teams could see victory within reach. The Mastodons came out with more energy and aggression in the final set and quickly took a 7-3 lead. The Pioneers found themselves down 10-6 after yet another service error. Sacred Heart felt the match slipping away and took a timeout with the score at 13-9 in favor of the Mastodons. Unfortunately, the Pioneers could not regain their composure and dropped the set 15-10 and the match to the Mastodons.

Sacred Heart is back in action Saturday evening when they host Ball State at 6:00 p.m. on Dave Bike Court in the William H. Pitt Center.