The Stony Brook Women’s Volleyball Team came out flat against Sacred Heart, losing in three sets (16-25, 18-25, 17-25) Tuesday night at the Pitt Center in Fairfield, Connecticut.

This was the Seawolves’ first Division I loss to the Pioneers in program history, as they had won the previous six meetings.

The Pioneers competed hard during the first set and did not turn back after a 5-0 run that put them ahead 15-8. Through three sets, Stony Brook posted a mere .073 hit percentage and only recorded two blocks. Conversely, Sacred Heart had a hitting percentage of .238 and blocked 14 balls.

Sacred Heart sophomore outside hitter Makayla Dole had a dominating performance, amounting 10 kills and 17 digs, for a total of 11.5 points.

Stony Brook freshman outside hitter Jordan Gels continues to have a hot hand, scoring a career-high 14 digs against a team that was relentless on offense. This was Gels’s fifth straight game in which she tallied double-digit digs. Sophomore setter Morgan Kath amounted a total of 22 assists during the loss.

Sophomore middle hitter McKyla Brooks continues to lead the team in points and kills, scoring 12 of the team’s 32 kills during the loss. She, along with Kath, who led the team in assists last year, will need strong performances in order to rally the struggling Seawolves.

With the loss, head coach Coley Pawlikowski’s young team dropped to 4-12 on the season. This was the sixth time the Seawolves were swept in three straight sets. But with only one conference game played so far, Stony Brook still has a chance at climbing back into America East contention.

All but one of Stony Brook’s remaining matches will be conference play. The team travels to New Hampshire on Sunday, Oct. 2 for its next game.