FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team battled UMBC of the American East Conference at home on Friday evening, suffering a 3-0 loss to Retrievers at the Pitt Center. 

Records:
Sacred Heart: 0-4
UMBC: 2-2
 
Top Performers:
Camryn Luginbuhl: 10 kills, 5 digs, 3 blocks
Gaby Zovko: 21 assists
 
How It Happened:
The Retrievers opened the first set by winning seven of the opening nine points to storm ahead 7-2. SHU drew the deficit to four, 11-7, following a 3-0 run a little later. The Pios continued to chip away at UMBC, drawing the margin to two by the 13-11 mark in the frame. A 4-0 run by the Pioneers knotted the score at 16-16. The run featured a Jessica Foss ace, and a Gaby Zovko kill. Unfortunately for SHU, a 6-0 run by the visitors gave them a 22-16 lead, which led to UMBC earning a 25-19 win in the set. 

UMBC took an early lead again in the second set, taking a 5-3 advantage after the first eight points. From there, the two teams went back and forth until a 6-0 run by the visitors put them up by eight, 18-10. The Retrievers held the lead for the remainder of the set, winning by a 25-15 final score. 

The Pioneers stormed out to the early advantage in the third set, taking a 5-2 lead after the first seven points. SHU's early run featured block assists from Lauren Harrell and Kate Anderson, one kill from Camryn Luginbuhl, and two spikes by Dominique Felix. As they had all night, the Retrievers were ready with an answer, as an 8-1 run gave them a 10-6 advantage. The UMBC lead ballooned to nine, 17-8, after the visitors' 5-0 run. 

Not to be deterred on their home court, the Pios rallied with an exciting 7-0 surge to cut the deficit to two, 17-15. Luginbuhl bookended the run with two kills, while Zovko recorded a pair of aces. Unfortunately for SHU, a UMBC 6-1 surge was enough to push it to a non-conference victory. 

The Pios' strength tonight was on the front line, as the team tallied a season-high seven total blocks. Lauren Harrell led the way on defense with four swats (one solo and three assisted). Luginbuhl paced the offense with a season-best 10 kills. Zovko posted another stellar performance tonight, recording her third 20+ assist match of the year. 

Up Next:
The Pioneers will cap their three-match homestand on Tuesday, Sept. 5, with a 7 p.m. clash at the Pitt Center.