Volleyball Improves to 7-0 in NEC With Three-Game Sweep of Sacred Heart

(boxscore)

11/6/06 -- Junior Shelby Heggie (Laramie, Wyo.) paced the Blackbirds with 13 kills as the Long Island University volleyball team remained unbeaten in Northeast Conference play with a 3-0 (30-15, 30-16, 30-23) sweep of Sacred Heart. Long Island improved its conference record to a perfect 7-0 (20-10 overall), winning each match by a 3-0 margin.

Freshman Svetlana Simic (Klek, Serbia) had a game-high 13 digs, adding three aces. Martina Wagner (Friedrichshafen, Germany), who entered the game second in the nation in aces per game, had six against the Pioneers. The junior also registered six kills and five digs.

Long Island once again used a balanced attack as five players had at least six kills. Sophomore Martina Racic (Pula, Croatia) and junior Trevon Dyson (Rock Hill, S.C.) each had fine nights for the Blackbirds, tallying nine and seven kills, respectively. Junior Toni Perhat (Roviny, Croatia) added eight kills and seven digs.

The Blackbirds used a 7-1 run to start the first game and never looked back, taking the game by a score of 30-15. Game two had a similar feel as LIU again took an early lead it would not relinquish. Sacred Heart put up a fight in the third frame, coming back to tie Long Island at 14. In a game that saw the lead change hands four times, the Blackbirds used a late seven-point run to put away the Pioneers, 30-23.

As a team, Long Island outhit Sacred Heart 46-20. For the match, the Blackbirds hit .313, while the Pioneers hit .000. Tiffany Phoenix had seven kills and seven digs to lead Sacred Heart (2-22, 1-6 NEC).

The Blackbirds will return to their home court on Thursday, Nov. 9 when they host Albany at 5:00 p.m.