LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – Camryn Luginbuhl set the single-season program record for kills in Sacred Heart University women's volleyball's 3-1 loss to Rider on Sunday in the Pioneers' regular-season finale in Lawrenceville, N.J.
At the conclusion of today's matches, SHU finished the year as the No. 5 seed in the MAAC. The Pioneers will open the league's postseason tournament against No. 8 seed Iona on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 4 p.m. The event will be hosted by Siena at the UHY Center in Loudonville, N.Y.
Luginbuhl is now up to 498 kills this year, which put her ahead of the previous record of 497 held by Associate Head Coach
Kim Roleder. The senior outside hitter finished the afternoon with 15 kills and 12 digs for her third double-double in the last five matches.
Gaby Zovko had an outstanding showing today with 29 assists, nine kills, seven digs, six blocks and four aces.
Miliani Villarreal also had a near double-double with 12 digs and nine assists.
Records:
Sacred Heart: 15-15, 11-7 MAAC
Rider: 15-16, 14-4 MAAC
Top Performers:
Camryn Luginbuhl: 15 kills, 12 digs
Gaby Zovko: 29 assists, 9 kills, 7 digs, 6 blocks, 4 aces
Miliani Villarreal: 12 digs, 9 assists
How It Happened:
The Brocs got out of the gates quickly in the first set, building a 10-4 lead through 14 points. The Rider advantage grew to seven by the 17-10 mark before SHU put together a 5-0 run to trim the margin to two, 17-15. Unfortunately for the Pios, they did not get any closer than two as the Broncs went on to win the first 25-22.
Rider got up early again in the second set with a 10-6 lead. The Pioneers were again ready with an answer, cutting the deficit to one, 10-9, with a 3-0 spurt. Sacred Heart jumped into the lead by the 17-16 mark following a 6-1 run midway through the frame. With the Pioneers up 20-19, the Broncs looked poised to win with a 5-0 surge. SHU fought off four set points, but could not win a fifth one, losing the set 26-24.
The start of the third set was very close, as the margin hovered around three for much of the opening half. SHU took command of the set with a 4-0 run, which featured a Zovko kill and block. Up 23-17, the Pios shrugged off a Broncs' points by winning the next two to win the third 25-18.
Rider controlled the action at the start of the fourth, going up 19-12. Sacred Heart retaliated by winning 10 of the following 13 points to even the score at 22-all. Unfortunately for SHU, Rider went on to win the final three points in the frame to secure a four-set victory.
Up Next:
The fifth-seeded Pioneers will open the league's postseason tournament against No. 8 seed Iona on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 4 p.m. The event will be hosted by Siena at the UHY Center in Loudonville, N.Y.
