Box Score
FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- For the first time since 2008, the Fairleigh Dickinson women's volleyball team beat Northeast Conference foe Sacred Heart, scoring a 3-1 victory over the defending NEC champion Pioneers on Sunday at the Pitt Center. The win helps the Knights run their record to 7-10 (3-1 NEC) as Sacred Heart falls to 4-14 (2-2 NEC).

FDU was paced by senior Meaghan Wheeler (Chatsworth, CA/Chaminade College Prep)'s 10th double-double of the season with a match-high 19 kills as well as 11 digs, while on defense redshirt junior Violeta Slabakova (Shelby Township, Mich./Utica) and freshman Maddie Gibbons (Columbus, Ohio/Grandview Heights) contributed five block assists apiece. The Pioneers had 11 more kills than the Knights (55-44) but committed 37 attack errors as FDU won the match with set scores of 25-19, 25-22, 23-25 and 25-21.

After getting off to a fast start with two straight kills from Wheeler in the first, SHU scored four in a row for a 4-2 edge. From there the play went back and forth until FDU strung together two runs to gain the lead. Down 14-13, the Knights went on a 5-0 streak, culminating with one of freshman Jordon Collis (Frisco, TX/Frisco)' seven kills to make it 18-14 in favor of the road team.

SHU responded with two points but gave the momentum back to the Knights with three straight attack errors as FDU claimed a 21-16 lead. FDU took care of the rest, ending the set with a 25-19 win a Slabakova kill. Slabakova turned in a complete match with seven kills and four aces to go with her five block assists.

Pioneer mistakes again helped the Knights in the second. With the score knotted at 6-6, FDU scored five in a row on four SHU attack errors followed by a bad set for an 11-6 lead. The two sides alternated points until Sacred Heart made a run to even the score at 16-16 then again at 19-19. A 3-0 run by the Knights gave them the advantage they needed as they went on to a 25-22 second-set win.
 
The third set was all SHU in the early going as the Pioneers led by as many as 10 points at 14-4. Errors by the Pioneers coupled by a late FDU push allowed the Knights to tie the score 23-23 on another kill from Wheeler and a service ace from Slabakova. Two kills in a row by the Pioneers put the set away, however, 25-23.

The Knights and Pioneers matched each other point-for-point in the fourth with the score tied 11 times with the last tie coming at 13 all. FDU picked up seven of the next nine points on five SHU errors to go with kills from Collis and Slabakova for a 20-15 edge.  The Knights, as they had done all day, made another 5-0 surge to push their advantage to 24-17 before Wheeler's kill cemented FDU's 25-21 set win.

Sophomore Deborah Hong (Rutherford, N.J./Rutherford) picked up a team-best 13 digs for FDU, while freshman Corey Lostetter (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) added 11 digs. Sophomore Hanifa Addi (Springdale, Md./Charles H. Flowers) was also a force on defense with two solo blocks and four block assists. Freshman Allison Butler (Plano, Texas/Plano) dished out 31 assists in the win.

The Knights outhit the Pioneers .223-.115, who were led by Johanna Ovsenek's 18 kills and double-doubles from Alissa Young (13 K-10 D) and Karly Shockey (11 K-12 D).

"It was a complete team effort, and we really played well at pivotal points of the match," FDU Head Coach Stacey Recanati said. "I thought the turning point was being down by 10 in the third set and making a comeback to make it close.” 

The Knights will continue NEC play with a match at Bryant in Smithfield, R.I. on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 1 p.m.