FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University men's volleyball team upset NJIT Thursday night at home with a 3-0 sweep. Tonight marked the Pioneers' first win against the Highlanders since February 2019, halting a nine-match skid. 
 
Records:
Sacred Heart: 4-6
Harvard: 7-5
 
Top Performers:
Patrick Mucherino: 14 kills (.346), 1 ace, 6 digs, 1 block
Jaron Popp: 6 kills (.600), 1 ace, 5 blocks
Carlos Santa Cruz: 6 kills (.333), 5 assists, 1 ace, 4 blocks
Dylan McClung: 5 kills (.500), 5 aces, 3 blocks
 
How It Happened:
After being tied at six in the first set, SHU went on a 11-4 run, securing a six-point lead tallying six kills and an ace by Dylan McClung. The Highlanders were unable to dig out of the hole, leading to a 25-18 Pio victory.
 
The second set saw more back-and-forth play between the teams battling through nine ties. After being tied at 20, the Pioneers went on a 5-3 run with three back-to-back kills by Patrick Mucherino and a game-winning kill from Carlos Terrassa, as Sacred Heart took the set 25-23.
 
The Pioneers' momentum propelled them to fight through the third set. McClung served three straight pivotal aces to give SHU a six-point lead, forcing the Highlanders into a timeout. NJIT fought back to come within three but could not halt the Pios' momentum, resulting in a 25-21 win for a three-set sweep.
 
Leading the Pioneers in kills with 14 was Mucherino. Both Jaron Popp and Carlos Santa Cruz secured six kills. Popp added five blocks while Santa Cruz added five assists. Cole Younger secured a season high of nine digs. Setter Teddy Payne tallied 25 assists, two blocks and one ace. 
 
Up Next:
The Pioneers travel to Princeton Saturday, Feb. 10, for a 4:00 p.m. game.