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Moon Township, PA -- It was a Nutmeg State battle in the Keystone State, and Sacred Heart made sure the trip home would be a memorable one.

The second-seeded Pioneers took home their third NEC Women’s Volleyball Championship title on Saturday, sweeping Central Connecticut in three sets, 25-23, 25-14, 25-16, at the UMPC Events Center in Moon Township, PA. All three titles have come under 13th-year head coach Rob Machan.
 
Sophomore setter Sarah Ciszek (San Juan Capistrano, CA/Santa Margarita Catholic) was named the NEC Tournament MVP for her performance, registering a double-double with 37 assists and 12 digs in the final. She added seven kills with an ace and a block. The sophomore setter registered 11.5 assists per set throughout the tournament, hitting a consistent .356 over two matches.
 
The Pios kicked off the match going on two four-point runs for a quick 8-1 lead in the first set, beginning with a trio of aces from Nelis. After a timeout for the Blue Devils the two teams traded points before CCSU found some momentum with an eight-point run of its own to tie it up for the first time in the match at 10-10. From there, neither team led by more than three, and after the Blue Devils went up 23-21, SHU finished the set on a four-point run with all four coming on Nellis kills.
 
Sacred Heart used an 8-1 run to build a 13-5 lead in the second set, and rolled to a 25-14 win, finishing with a Nellis kill.
 
One set away from the title, the Pioneers didn't let up.

SHU took a commanding 14-7 lead following a 7-1 run but Central Connecticut would not go down quietly. The Blue Devils fought back with four points, sparked by a kill from Nicole Kramer (Bellevue, WA/Interlake) to tighten the score to 14-11 in SHU's favor. However, the Pioneers only yielded five more points, cruising through to the end where the final kill was delivered by redshirt sophomore Reghan Palanchi (Succasunna, NJ/Roxbury).
 
Liisel Nelis (Kuressaare, Estonia/Audentes Sports Gymnasium was named to the All-NEC Tournament team for her efforts in leading the SHU attack with a match-high 13 kills, hitting at a .333 clip paired with a match-high 15 digs and a block assist. Senior middle blocker, Gianna Scioletti (Westborough, MA/Westborough), another NEC All-Tournament team honoree, tallied eight kills on .800 hitting to go along with five blocks.
 
Central Connecticut, which finished 15-15, was led freshman Isabelle Roufs (Winsted, MN/Howard Lake Waverly Winsted), who paced the Blue Devils with eight kills.

The Blue Devils sported a pair of NEC All Tournament members inAshlyn Eisenga (Ripcon, CA/Ripcon) and Emma Henderson (Prairie Village, KS/Shawnee Mission East), who both played major roles in the team’s ousting of top-seeded Robert Morris on Friday.

The Pioneers, who won their 20th match (20-11), will find out their postseason opponent next weekend when the NCAA selection show airs on Sunday, December 1 at 8:30 p.m.
 
NEC All-Tournament Team
Sarah Ciszek, SHU (MVP)
Liisel Nelis, SHU
Makayla Dole, SHU
Gianna Scioletti, SHU
Emma Smallcomb, SHU
Emma Henderson, CCSU
Ashlyn Eisenga, CCSU
Amanda Hubbard, LIU
Emma Granger, RMU