FORT WAYNE- For the second consecutive night, the Sacred Heart men's volleyball team took the first set, 25-21, only to fall in four sets, 17-25, 19-25, 17-25, losing to Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Worth on Friday evening. With all five teams on SHU's road trip either ranked or receiving votes, the Pioneers end the season-opening road trip 0-5.

After Sacred Heart took the first point of the fourth set, IPFW scored the next four and would lead the rest of the way. Twice the Pioneers got as close as one, the final time coming when Doug Dzema and Chris Delucie combined on a block to make it 9-8, but the Mastodons responded again with four points in a row to pull away for good.

SHU could not slow down the IPFW attack that hit .381, including .506 in the final three sets after opening the match with a .062 performance in the first set. The Pioneers on the other hand hit .138.

It was Delucie combining with Michael Comens to lead SHU with 12 kills each. Dzema was one shy of a new career-high with five block assists. Eduardo Zardo and Joshua Ayzenberg led the Pioneers in assists and digs for the second straight night, with 32 and 12, respectively. 

Tony Price led three Mastodons in double figure kills with 17 to go along with 11 digs and six block assists. Andrew Sellan added 15 kills, while David Frazee finished with 14 on an impressive .778 hitting, also adding seven block assists. Michael Keegan had 52 assists and Luis Bertran led the match with 13 digs.

SHU's home opener is in one week, as the Pioneers will welcome Alderson Broaddus to the William H. Pitt Center next Friday at 7 pm. 

How it Happened

• First Set- Opposite of the fourth set, Sacred Heart responded to IPFW taking the first point with the next five, four of which came on Mastodon errors. Fort Wayne got as close as two points four times, the final occurrence at 11-9, before SHU tallied five straight points capped by a Comens kill for a 16-10 lead and cruised from there.
• Second Set- Sacred Heart led as late as 14-13, but IPFW closed the set on a 12-3 run, which included five kills, three SHU errors, two service aces, and two Pioneer service errors.
• Third Set- IPFW took control a little earlier in the fourth. Tied 9-9, the Mastodons scored three points in a row and SHU could get no closer than two the remainder of the set. Up 13-11, Fort Wayne scored four of the next five points, with kills from Frazee, Nick Smalter and Price, to take a two sets to one lead.