FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University men's volleyball team got back on the winning track Tuesday at the Pitt Center. The Pioneers stepped out of EIVA action to defeat Eastern Nazarene, 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-20, 25-18).
Records:
Sacred Heart: 7-11 
Eastern Nazarene: 9-10
 
Top Performers:
Mark Berry (SHU): 15 kills 
Patrick Mucherino (SHU) 8 kills, 6 digs, 6 blocks, 7 aces
Carlos Santa Cruz (SHU): 8 kills, 8 digs
 
Up Next:
The Pioneers are back in conference play Friday when they travel to Saint Francis for a 7 p.m. contest.
 
Of Note:
Sacred Heart jumped out to a fast start, establishing a 7-1 lead thanks to four ENC errors. SHU finished the opening set with four-straight points with Ryan Benscoter's ace wrapping it up.
 
The Pioneers led 20-18 in the second stanza, but Alejandro Garcia Fernandez recorded two of his match-high 21 kills and Aaron Haung added a winner to swing the set in the Lions' favor.
 
In set three, the Pioneers pulled away late thanks to a Patrick Mucherino kill then three-straight ENC attack errors. Mucherino put the match away in the fourth set by following up a Carlos Santa Cruz kill with six-straight points off his serve. The sophomore had three aces during the run and the Pioneers added a pair of blocks.
 
Outside hitter Mark Berry notched a season-high 15 kills. In addition to his eight kills, Mucherino had a half dozen blocks and digs. He ripped off seven aces, the third-best single-game total for a four-set match in the NCAA this season and the most by a Pioneer since Christopher DeLucie notched seven against Princeton on April 15, 2017.
 
Sacred Heart righted the ship on defense in the third and fourth set, limiting ENC to a -.065 hitting percentage for an overall .245-to-.090 margin. SHU also had the advantage in blocks (14-4) and aces (10-2).