SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Sacred Heart University men's volleyball team secured a 3-0 win Tuesday night against American International College.
 
Records:
Sacred Heart: 8-13, 2-6 NEC
AIC: 2-13, 1-2 ECC
 
Top Performers:
Jaron Popp: 8 kills (.429), 1 assist, 2 digs, 8 points
Petr Beranek: 8 kills (.583), 2 blocks, 2 digs, 9.5 points
Patrick Mucherino: 8 kills (.700), 1 dig, 8 points
 
How It Happened:
The Pioneers won eight of the first 12 points in the first, but AIC went on a 6-0 run to take the 10-8 lead. Back-to-back kills from Jaron Popp and Patrick Mucherino tied the game. With the score tied at 18-18, SHU went on a 6-1 run with kills from Mucherino and Petr Beranek to take a 25-18 win.
 
The second match was more contested, but the Pios pulled away at the end with a 6-2 run to win 25-22.
 
In the third, the Yellow Jackets took a quick 6-3 lead over the Pioneers. SHU pulled away on a 7-1 run that consisted of four errors from AIC, back-to-back kills from Bartek Olczyk and a kill from Dylan McClung. The Pios sealed the sweep with a 25-19 victory in the third.
 
Popp, Beranek and Mucherino each tallied eight kills to lead the Pioneer offense. Teddy Payne, Colin Stevens and Cade Trujillo each played a set at setter and combined for 37 assists with 15, 12 and 10, respectively.
 
Up Next:
The Pioneers head to George Mason on Friday, March 29, for a 7:00pm match.