After being edged by St. Luke’s School in a back-and-forth first set, host Sacred Heart Greenwich was intent on not leaving much to chance thereafter, as it played from in front the majority of the remaining sets in its late-season FAA varsity volleyball match.

Receiving key contributions from everyone in action, the Tigers were victorious against the visiting Storm, 3-1, improving their FAA record to 5-4. The win was key for Sacred Heart Greenwich, which earned the No. 4 seed in the upcoming FAA Volleyball Tournament.

Sacred Heart, Greenwich Country Day School and Greenwich Academy finished in a three-way tie in the FAA regular season standings with identical 5-4 records and the Tigers received the No. 4 seed, in a tiebreaker. Greenwich Country Day is seeded fifth and will visit Sacred Heart in Monday’s (Nov. 9th) FAA Tournament quarterfinals at 4:30 p.m. Greenwich Academy, seeded sixth, will travel to third-seeded Greens Farms Academy for the FAA quarterfinal (Nov. 9) at 4:30 p.m.

Against St. Luke’s, Sacred Heart won the match by set scores of 24-26, 25-15, 25-9, 25-19. Senior tri-captain Ana Pizzimbono recorded 12 kills, 11 digs, nine assists and two aces, turning in a standout overall effort, while junior tri-captain Julianna Luzzi registered 35 assists, 16 digs, nine kills, six aces and one block to help power the Tigers.

“It was definitely a special game, because it was one of the last home games for the seniors,” said Luzzi, a setter, who helped keep Sacred Heart’s offense jelling. “It was a fun game, we had some ups and downs throughout it, but we definitely pulled it out and it was good.”

Sophomore outside hitter Arabella Pike posted key points throughout, producing 13 kills, while sophomore middle hitter Paige Rigert had nine kills and two blocks for the Tigers. Kills by Pike and Luzzi put SHG ahead of the Storm, 7-4, in the second set.

Another kill by Pike and an ace from Pizzimbono gave Sacred Heart an 18-12 advantage later in the second set, which the hosts proceeded to win, 25-15.

“I think we came together as a team and we rebounded from our mistakes quickly,” Pizzimbono said of the team’s turnaround in the second set. “I thought everyone swung really hard and went for everything and I think we played pretty smart. We’ve been working in practice on smarter plays and I definitely saw improvement in that, it’s great.”

The Tigers celebrated their Senior Day today (Nov. 7th) with a home match against Miss Porter’s School.

“I’m really sad, it’s very bittersweet,” Pizzimbono said of Senior Day, which signifies that the end of the season is approaching. “I love this team so much, so it’s really sad to see it all come to an end.”

In the third set, a pair of kills from Luzzi made it 11-5 in favor of the Tigers. Junior Sophia Berlingo showcased her excellent serving, enabling SHG to build on its lead.

Berlingo served three consecutive aces, upping the Tigers’ edge to 15-5 on St. Luke’s in the third set. A pair of aces from Luzzi later on in the set, gave SHG a commanding 24-9 advantage.

“Our energy was a big part of it, trying to get in their head and using our energy and anything other than our serving to our advantage,” Luzzi noted. “Because there were some points during the game where our serving just wasn’t our best, but we were able to enhance other parts of our game.”

Berlingo finished the match with six aces, six digs and one assist, while senior tri-captain Kaitlyn Bentley had five kills, two aces and one block for the victorious Tigers. Sacred Heart played from in front throughout while winning the fourth and final set, 25-19.

“I’m very happy, we had a rocky start, but once we brought our energy back – we had a really great game against Hotchkiss and I really think energy really brought us through that whole thing,” Bentley noted. “When we saw our energy down, once we brought it back up, we had a great finish and a great rest of our game.”

Now the FAA Tournament is next for Sacred Heart, as it hosts neighborhood rival Greenwich Country Day School, which is also in the midst of a strong season.

“I’m excited, I think we’re going to have a great run,” Luzzi said.

“I think it’s anyone’s game and I think we have the power to fight and see where things go,” Bentley noted.