LORETTO, PA — Sacred Heart Men's volleyball will compete in their first NEC postseason as they'll take on Saint Francis Brooklyn at mutual foe Saint Francis University's campus.


The Pioneers switched to the NEC from the EIVA this season and will make their debut as the fourth seed in the conference and will play host to the Terriers at the neutral site. The red and white finished their first year in the NEC with an 11-12 overall record and 7-7 in the conference.

Mark Berry and Patrick Mucherino lead the way for the Pioneer offense with 259 kills each with Ife Loverton at second on the team with 172. Mucherino leads the team with 25 service aces and Loverton trails at 17 aces with Berry at 13. Loverton and Mucherino also help out around the net defensively, combining for 138 total block with Loverton's 85 ranks him third in the NEC.

Tyler Kwinta and Cole Younger serve as the Pios top facilitators, as Kwinta notched a career high 659 assists this season while Younger led the team with 181 digs. Teddy Payne has shown he can be productive with 164 assists on the season, 71 coming in the last two games of the season on his way to a career high 47 in the season finale win at LIU. Carlos Santa Cruz has served as an effective player in nearly every stat category for the Pioneers with 163 kills, 20 assists, 70 digs and 11 service aces.