LORETTO, Pa. – The Sacred Heart men's volleyball team upset the defending Northeast Conference (NEC) champions and three-seeded LIU Wednesday evening in a thrilling 3-1 win. This is the Pioneers second consecutive NEC Quarterfinal win after defeating Saint Francis Brooklyn in 2023. SHU will advance to the NEC Semifinals tomorrow to play #1 Saint Francis (Pa.).
 
Records:
Sacred Heart: 12-19 (NEC 3-9)
LIU: 14-12 (NEC 8-4)
 
Top Performers:
Patrick Mucherino: 22 kills (.429), 3 block assists, 3 digs, 1 ace, 1 assist, 24.5 points
Carlos Santa Cruz: 12 kills (.308), 2 block assists, 1 solo block, 1 ace, 1 dig, 15 points
Mark Berry: 9 kills (.563), 9 points
Teddy Payne: 40 assists, 4 digs, 1 kill
 
How it Happened:
Besides the first point, the Pioneers held the lead the entirety of the first set. Back-to-back kills from Mark Berry forced an LIU timeout as SHU secured a five-point lead, 13-8. Patrick Mucherino secured a 25-21 win for the Pios with a service ace. 
 
SHU could not curb the Sharks' in the second set, falling by a 25-20 final score.
 
In the third set, the Pioneers overcame a 17-12 LIU lead on a 6-1 run to tie the match at 18. The Pioneer faced back-and-forth play with the Sharks, fighting through six match points. SHU won the battle after a kill from Mucherino and an LIU error to take an exciting 30-28 victory.
 
The Pioneers used the third-set momentum to propel themselves to an early eight-point lead, 11-3, in the fourth. The Sharks battled back and came within two, but were unable to surpass the Pios. Santa Cruz secured a solo block to ice a 25-21 win for the Pios.
 
Mucherino led the Pioneers' offense with 22 kills, while hitting .429. The senior also secured three block assists and three digs. Santa Cruz also was crucial to the Pios' offense with 12 kills, a pair of blocks and an ace. Berry showed up with accuracy, hitting .563 with nine kills. Setter Teddy Payne secured 40 assists in the win.
 
Up Next:
The Pioneers will face #1 Saint Francis tomorrow at 7:00 pm in an NEC Semifinal.