FAIRFIELD, CT – The Saint Peter's women's volleyball team (4-12,2-7 MAAC) showed resilience but ultimately fell to Sacred Heart University (9-12,5-4 MAAC) in a tightly contested 3-0 sweep (32-30, 25-19, 25-15) on Sunday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set 1
Freshman Danielle Caligiuri opened the match with back-to-back service aces, but a Saint Peter's attack error tied it at 3. A Sacred Heart service error, followed by a kill and ace from junior Elena Bilhartz, gave the Peacocks a 6-3 lead. Sacred Heart responded, but a powerful attack from sophomore Karolina Rodriguez kept Saint Peter's ahead at 7-5. The Pioneers tied the set at 7, then both teams exchanged points until Sacred Heart edged ahead, 15-13.
The Peacocks fought back to tie the set at 23 with an ace from sophomore Maliyah Labrie and a Pioneer error. They reached set point with a block from Rodriguez and senior Penelope Rivera, but Sacred Heart fought off set points and ultimately won 32-30 after a hard-fought battle.
Set 2
Bilhartz started the second set with a kill, but Sacred Heart quickly went ahead 2-1. The Peacocks trailed 15-10 before rallying to close the gap to 16-14, thanks to kills from Bilhartz and Rivera. However, Sacred Heart pulled away with a strong run to lead 21-15 and reached set point at 24-16. Saint Peter's fought off set point three times with kills from Labrie but fell 25-19.
Set 3
After trading early points, Sacred Heart went on a 6-0 run to lead 14-9. The Pioneers extended their lead to 23-13, but back-to-back kills from Rivera brought the score to 23-15. Sacred Heart closed the set and the match with a kill and an ace, securing the sweep 25-15.
Inside the Numbers:
Rivera led the Peacocks with 11 kills and 13 points.
Bilhartz added seven kills on 12 attempts, swinging .500 on the day.
Caligiuri tallied 21 assists.
Up Next:
The Saint Peter's Peacocks return home on Saturday, October 26, to host Manhattan College at Run Baby Run Arena. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. The match will also feature a Pink Out in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
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