FAIRFIELD, CONN. --- The LIU Brooklyn volleyball team saw its three match winning streak come to an end Friday evening as the Blackbirds were dealt a 3-1 road loss by the Sacred Heart Pioneers (25-13, 17-25, 26-24, 25-16).

Junior Nina Petranovic put together a double-double of 14 digs and a team-high ten kills to lead the Blackbirds. Fellow junior Viktoria Fink nearly joined Petranovic in her efforts but was one kill shy of the feat (nine kills, 11 digs). Sophomore Natalia Rivera led all players with 25 digs while sophomore Amanda Hubbard had a team-best 15 assists and Katharina Krepper contributed seven kills and six blocks.

Both team traded blows early on in the form of wire-to-wire set victories. Sacred Heart scored the first three points of Set 1 and five of the first six en route to taking the first lead of the match. LIU answered back in the second by matching SHU's opening 3-0 run in the second and putting things away with a 7-0 surge that turned a tight two-point edge (7-5) in to a comfortable nine-point buffer (14-5). The Pioneers would fail to pull any closer than six points the rest of the set.

Set 3 proved to be the most competitive of them all. LIU and SHU were tied at every point from 0-0 to 5-5 before the Pioneers took a three point lead (8-5). The Blackbirds countered with a 7-2 run to move ahead, 12-10. SHU tied the match four more times without taking the lead back but did so on the fifth try after a 19-19 tie. It took LIU until 24-23 to regain control but a set-clinching three straight points by the hosts proved to be too costly.

The fourth set so Sacred Heart take control early and keep the Blackbirds at bay throughout. SHU opened up a 7-1 lead then put together its own 7-0 run to go ahead 15-5. The closest LIU could move to the rest of the way was an eight-point deficit in the final stages (23-15, 24-16).

LIU will face Fairleigh Dickinson in Teaneck, N.J. on Saturday, October 14 at 4 p.m.