Jan. 18, 2008

Fairfield, CT - After two seasons of building, the Sacred Heart men's volleyball team is hoping to make 2008 a winning season and, in the process, make their mark in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.

The Pioneers will return a strong crop of players looking to make an impact. The group is led by a deep squad of returning hitters. Junior BJ Smith (Shelton, CT) has been the Pioneers most prolific hitter for the last two years. Last year, he led the team with 236 kills in 74 games, an average of more then three per contest. Smith also was fourth on the team in digs, with 113.

In addition to Smith, two other veteran hitters are back for Sacred Heart. Sophomore Kalani Efstathiou (Beaverton, OR) was the second leading hitter last year, tallying 198 kills and a team leading 143 kills on the year. Senior Chris Yantz (Setauket, NY) was third on the team with 191 kills on the season.

The supporting cast returning for the Pioneers will add more depth. Up front, senior twins Brendan Donohue (Mellville, NY) and Peter Donohue (Mellville, NY) will be a force at the net, along with sophomore Scott Grandpre (East Greenwich, RI). Defensively, Dan DuVall (Poolesville, MD) and Daniel Donohue (Nutley, NJ) will see most of the action at the libero position.

Head coach C.J. Emanuelson will be looking for a new setter this year, following the graduation of John Breen. Three new players have setting experience and should see time for the Pioneers. Tim Sadowski (Salem, NH), Roger Parent (Burlington, CT) and Austin Hagaman (Belmar, NJ) all could see action as the "quarterback" of the offense. In addition to those three, Jon Mercado (Corona, NY), Will Kelleher and Matt Somerville (Orange, CT) also make-up the crop of new Pioneers this season.

Sacred Heart opens the season this Saturday, January 19 with a visit to Stevens Tech. Four days later, on January 23 the Pioneers start their EIVA schedule with a match-up at powerhouse NJIT. SHU will play their home opener on Friday night February 1 against Springfield. The next day SHU visits Harvard before returning home to face Rutgers-Newark on February 5.

A four game road trip takes the Pioneers to Hunter, Rutgers-Newark, NYU and Springfield from February 16-March 7. The Pioneers will participate in the CUNY-York tournament March 14-15.

The Pioneers return home March 26 to open a four game homestand. SHU will play three games in four days starting with New Haven on March 26 followed by Harvard and Stevens Tech on March 28 and 29. The homestand closes with Senior Day on April 5 against NYU. SHU closes out the season on April 10 with a visit to New Haven.