FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University men's volleyball team dropped a home Northeast Conference (NEC) bout to Saint Francis, 3-1, on Friday evening at the Pitt Center. 

Patrick Mucherino led the way for the Pioneers with 19 kills and a career-best 11 digs for his first double-double of the season. First year setter Wilson Buchanan started his first career match tonight and assisted 36 of SHU's 40 kills. Carlos Santa Cruz was second on the team with nine kills after hitting a team-high .333.

Records:
Sacred Heart: 6-8, 1-2 NEC
Saint Francis: 8-5, 3-0 NEC

Top Performers:
Patrick Mucherino: 19 kills (.244), 1 solo block, 11digs, 3 aces, 23 points
Carlos Santa Cruz: 9 kills (.333), 2 assisted blocks, 5 digs, 10 points
Wilson Buchanan: 36 assists, 5 digs

How It Happened:
The Red Flash opened the match with a close 25-23 win in the first set. The margin at the start hovered around two points until the Pios found themselves up 7-4 following an SFU error. The two teams went back to trading points until a 4-0 run by the visitors put them up 14-11. SHU fought back to be down one late, 21-20, but a 4-3 run was good enough for the Red Flash to hold on and secure the win. 

The second set also started tightly contested, with the score tied at 12-12 after 24 points. SHU went ahead with a 4-1 run, which featured kills by Mucherino and Santa Cruz. The Pioneers maintained the advantage for the remainder of the set, ending the frame on a 6-3 run to earn a 25-21 victory after an assisted block by Dylan McClung and Santa Cruz. 

Things remained close at the start of the third set, with the score tied at 13-13 midway through the frame. Unfortunately for the Pioneers, a 5-1 run by SFU gave the visitors an 18-14 lead. The Red Flash held on from there, taking the frame by a 25-20 final score. 

With a 2-1 lead, the Red Flash controlled the fourth and cruised to a 25-14 victory to clinch the match in four. 

Up Next:
The Pioneers and Red Flash will complete the season series tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Pitt Center.