NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – The Sacred Heart University women's volleyball team concluded its weekend Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) trip to western New York with a four-set loss to Niagara on Sunday afternoon. 

Camryn Luginbuhl led the Pioneers with 20 kills and 13 digs for her second straight 20-kill, 10-dig double-double. Gaby Zovko also had a strong outing today with 38 assists, seven kills and seven digs for a near triple-double. 

Emily Sawyer and Sydney Stanfield both set new season-highs in the match. Sawyer tied her career-high mark of eight kills, while Stanfield posted a season-best seven digs. 

Records:
Sacred Heart: 7-12, 3-4 MAAC
Niagara: 9-9, 5-2 MAAC
 
Top Performers:
Camryn Luginbuhl: 20 kills, 13 digs, 2 aces 
Gaby Zovko: 38 assists, 7 kills, 7 assists, 3 blocks
Miliani Villarreal: 25 digs, 8 assists 

How It Happened:
The Purple Eagles jumped out to an early lead in the first set, riding that momentum to a comfortable 25-17 win to take a 1-0 advantage. 

SHU bounced back quickly in the second, building an 8-3 lead through the opening 11 points. Luginbuhl aided the early run with a trio of kills. Niagara rallied to tie the score at 16-all, but Sacred Heart answered by winning nine of the final 12 points to secure a 25-19 win. Allison Murray tallied two kills and a set-ending ace over the run. 

The Purple Eagles stormed out to an 8-3 advantage in the third set, with the Pioneers rallying back to tie the score at 16-16 following a 5-0 run. Unfortunately for SHU, a Niagara 8-2 surge gave the home team a commanding 24-18 advantage, leading to a 25-21 win. 

Niagara again took a big lead to start a set, going up 9-3 in the fourth. The Purple Eagles' margin grew to seven by the 22-15 mark before a 5-0 SHU surge cut the deficit to two, 22-20. A 2-0 spurt by Niagara put Sacred Heart on the ropes, with the Pios fighting off two match points before taking a 25-22 defeat. 

Up Next:
Sacred Heart will host Rider on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. The match will be played at Notre Dame High School.