FAIRFIELD, CT – Sophomore outside hitter Eduardo Hernandez collected a match-high 15 kills to lead a balanced Rutgers-Newark attack in a 3-0 EIVA Hay win over Sacred Heart in the Pitt Center. Set scores were 30-26, 30-26, 30-16. 

Rutgers-Newark 3, Sacred Heart 0

The Scarlet Raiders (8-10, EIVA Hay 6-0) hit .329 (42 kills, 15 errors, 82 attacks) as a team behind the setting of junior Jeff Zornig who had 35 assists as well as match-highs of three aces and nine digs. The setter also added three kills and got in on three blocks as Rutgers-Newark won for the seventh time in its last eight outings. 

Sophomore outside hitter Marcin Midura hit .478 with a dozen kills and just one error in 23 swings while adding an ace and getting in on two blocks while senior middle hitter Jon Keller had six kills on just 10 swings while posting two solo blocks and an assisted block. 

At the net, junior right side Dane Mulligan notched three solo blocks while freshman middle hitter Mark Kochan has two solos plus four assisted blocks as Rutgers-Newark dominate 14.0 to 1.0 in blocking. 

The victory put the Raiders in firm control of the EIVA Hay race with just two matches left on the Rutgers-Newark slate. Sacred Heart (13-9, EIVA Hay 3-2) slipped two games behind in the loss column while Harvard (EIVA Hay 2-1) is on the only team left with a clear shot at catching the Raiders. 

The Raiders took the first set despite torrid .429 hitting by the Pioneers. Hernandez, Zornig and Midura each had kills as Rutgers-Newark broke a 22-all deadlock with a closing 8-4 run. 

Hernandez exploded for eight kills as Rutgers-Newark hit .370 in taking the second frame. 

Midura and Hernandez notched four kills apiece in the final set as the Raiders hit .321 and made five blocks to put Sacred Heart into negative attack numbers. 

Rutgers-Newark takes on EIVA Tait kingpin Penn State on Saturday in The Golden Dome at 7 p.m.