The Sacred Heart men’s volleyball team has had plenty to celebrate at the Pitt Center this season, tying their most home wins in a single season since 2017 with six. On April 10-11, the Pioneers honored Senior Day and pushed No. 15 Penn State University to five sets in consecutive hard-fought matches.
The weekend was highlighted by holding the match point in the fourth set on April 11. Head coach Adam Niemczynowicz said he has been encouraged by his team’s progress and the resilience it showed against one of the nation’s premier programs.
“We’ve been working all season for these moments, and I believed in our team’s ability to go into a fight and compete with anyone,” said Niemczynowicz. “It was great to see because it proved our work is paying off.”
After opening the season with two losses, the Pioneers responded by winning six of their next seven matches, building momentum heading into Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) play. That strong stretch carried into conference competition, as Sacred Heart secured a spot in the EIVA Tournament for the first time since 2017.
“We’ve been talking about trusting the process, believing in each other and just focusing on playing, being patient and disciplined,” said Niemczynowicz. “We’ve really hit our stride as of late.”
Niemczynowicz, now in his fourth season as head coach, believed in his team’s potential entering the year. He pointed to the March 27-28 series against Harvard University as a turning point in the season, when the Pioneers began to find their identity.
“There was an identity that was missing, but I think we found it the week leading into the Harvard match,” said Niemczynowicz. “Something finally clicked, and the energy shifted. We were able to take a match from them and then beat Princeton twice the following weekend.”
The Pioneers’ roster features three seniors, including Ben Lillie and Carter Lyons, who have spent all four of their collegiate seasons with the program. After enduring a winless EIVA campaign last season, their experience has played a key role in the team’s turnaround.
“They’re great players who provide a lot of experience both on and off the court,” said Niemczynowicz. “We set expectations in the preseason for what we wanted to achieve, and they were a big part of that.”
As Sacred Heart returns to the postseason, Niemczynowicz believes the combination of veteran leadership and experience against top competition will serve his team well.
“We enjoy playing in those pressure-filled moments because we think it brings out the best in us,” said Niemczynowicz. “We’ve proven that when we play the way we know we can, we can compete with anybody. If we continue to do what we’ve been doing, we will be dangerous.”
The EIVA tournament is scheduled for April 22-25 at the home court of the No. 1 overall seed. The Pioneers will be making their first appearance in the tournament since joining the conference after departing the Northeast Conference prior to the 2025 season.
Athletic Communications contributed to this article.
