BROOKLYN, NY – After knocking at the doorstep of its first victory, the Sacred Heart University men's volleyball came through on Tuesday. The Pioneers nearly pulled off the sweep at St. Francis Brooklyn, winning the first match 3-1 (21-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-18) but lost the second 3-2 (22-25, 25-19, 25-22, 24-26, 15-11).   

Records:
St. Francis Brooklyn: 1-1
Sacred Heart: 1-15

Top Performers:
Brody Hoelperl (SHU): 17 kills, 9 digs (GM 1), 8 kills, 6 digs (GM 2)
Tyler Kwinta (SHU): 36 assists (GM 1), 33 assists (GM 2)
Nicholas Palluzzi (SHU): 17 kills (GM 1)

Up Next:
SHU's is back on the court April 6 against the Terriers as its series with Charleston scheduled for this weekend has been postponed.

Of Note:
The Terriers took the first set of the opening match, but it was all Pioneers from there. SHU had perhaps its best set of the season, hitting .667 on its way to winning the second set. SHU closed the third set on a 7-1 run then used a 5-2 run to distance itself in the fourth set.

Sacred Heart hit over .300 in the final two sets to pick up the victory. The Pioneers hit a season-high .384 and had a 41-29 advantage in digs.

Playing in his first collegiate match, rookie Brody Hoelperl notched 17 kills and just missed a double-double with nine digs. Matching Hoelperl was Nicholas Palluzzi with a career-high 17 winners. 

Match two was an up and down affair with the Pioneers grabbing the first and fourth sets and the Terriers winning the second and third stanzas. The match turned in the fifth set when SFBK broke a 5-5 tie with three-straight kills to build a lead SHU could not overcome.

Setter Tyler Kwinta had the best two matches of his rookie career, handing out 36 assists in the first game followed by 33 in the second.  

St. Francis Brooklyn had a 50-38 digs margin, which limited Sacred Heart to a .111 hitting percentage.