FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The first win of the season nearly slipped away for the Sacred Heart University men's volleyball team. The Pioneers pulled it together in the fifth set to defeat Stevens 3-2 (25-18, 25-15, 17-25, 24-26, 15-11) on Wednesday.
 
Records:
Sacred Heart: 1-2
Stevens: 3-1
 
Top Performers:
Patrick Mucherino (SHU): 15 kills, 5 aces, 2 blocks
Carlos Santa Cruz (SHU): 16 kills, 4 aces.
Ife Loverton (SHU) 13 kills, 3 blocks, 3 aces
 
Up Next:
Sacred Heart goes on the road next week for a two-match swing through Indiana, starting at Purdue Fort Wayne on January 27.
 
Of Note:
The win was the Pioneers' first under new head coach Adam Niemczynowicz.
 
Sacred Heart was nearly unstoppable in the first two sets, hitting .500 as they won the opening two stanzas. SHU let the Ducks back into the match by committing 16 errors in set three and 17 more in set four as Stevens forced a fifth set.
 
The Pioneers grabbed control of the final frame with a 3-0 run that featured kills from Patrick Mucherino and Carlos Santa Cruz. The Ducks pulled within 12-10, but Mucherino sandwiched kills around a Santa Cruz winner to end the match.
 
Sacred Heart outhit Stevens, .289-.144, and ripped off 13 aces. 
 
Three players reached double-digit kills, led by Santa Cruz who posted a career-high 16 winners. Loverton tied his best outing with 13 kills winners while Mucherino added 15.