NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Sacred Heart University men's volleyball team fell to Merrimack Saturday evening, 3-1, splitting the weekend series.
Records:
Sacred Heart: 7-12, 2-4 NEC
Merrimack: 7-9, 2-2 NEC
Top Performers:
Patrick Mucherino: 22 kills (.235), 3 blocks, 8 digs, 24 points
Carlos Santa Cruz: 17 kills (.208), 10 digs, 17 points
Teddy Payne: 49 assists, 3 digs
How It Happened:
The first set was closely contested with back-and-forth play. Trailing 24-22, the Pioneers staved off two set points, going on a 5-1 run to secure a 27-25 victory.
Carlos Santa Cruz tallied two kills in the surge, while
Patrick Mucherino ended the frame with a kill.
The Pioneers held a five-point lead in the second, but the Warriors secured a 6-1 run to tie things up at 19-19. The teams battled again through the set point, but SHU ultimately fell by a 29-27 final score.
The third and fourth sets were also closely contested but the Pioneers take the wins with scores of 25-22 and 25-23, respectively.
Mucherino led the Pioneer offense with 22 kills, hitting .235. He also secured eight digs and three blocks. Santa Cruz was right behind him with 17 kills and hit .208, with a career-high 10 digs. First year
Jaron Popp also hit well with eight kills. Setter
Teddy Payne secured a career-high 49 assists.
Up Next:
SHU head on the road next Friday, March 22
nd, to face FDU at 5:00 p.m.
