FAIRFIELD, Conn. (February 5, 2016) – The No. 7 Stevens Institute of Technology men's volleyball team picked up its fifth straight win Friday, topping Sacred Heart University in five sets.

The Ducks are now 5-1, while the Division I Pioneers dropped to 0-7.  The scores were 25-14, 13-25, 22-25, 25-19, 15-12.

Stevens dominated the first set, slugging .600 to the Pioneers .136. They never trailed, and after Sacred Heart recorded a kill to make the set 9-6 Stevens, the Ducks rolled off four straight. The hosts would get no closer, and junior Jordan Stuart served up an ace to clinch set one.

The Pioneers rebounded in the second frame, using a pair of 4-0 spurts to ward off the Ducks. Sacred Heart evened the match at one all after scoring six of the final seven markers. The hosts would take the lead two sets to one after never trailing in the third period. The Ducks cut the deficit down to two points late in the set, but a service error gave SHU the 2-1 edge.

After a service ace by senior Chris Vaughan gave Stevens a 7-5 lead, the Pioneers tallied the next six markers, forcing the Ducks into a timeout. The timeout gave the Ducks life, as they recorded nine of the next 11 points, with junior Gabe Shankweiler capping the run with a kill. SHU trimmed the gap to one point, but Vaughan pounded home a kill to start a 4-0 rally, and senior Tim Ferriter knotted the match at two sets a piece with a kill.

The Ducks never trailed in the deciding stanza, and a big triple block by Shankweiler, Ferriter and senior Etan Bennett put the visitors up 9-5. After the two sides traded serving errors, the Pioneers scored the next three and forced the Ducks into a timeout. They would get no closer than a single point, as Ferriter ended the match with a kill.

Shankweiler recorded a double-double of 21 kills and 10 digs, while Vaughan put away 12 kills and led the squad with four service aces. Ferriter tied for the team lead with five total blocks and also had 14 kills.

Michael Comens led the Pioneers with 20 kills and three service aces.

The Ducks will be back in action Sunday, taking on No. 15 Hunter College and the College of Staten Island in their home opener beginning at 11 a.m.

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