NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Villanova women's volleyball suffered a three set loss (25-22, 25-19, 25-22) on Saturday morning, dropping the match to the Sacred Heart Pioneers.

"We're obviously struggling, trying to get out of a slump is really hard," head coach Josh Steinbach said. "We're just going to try to improve play by play and worry about getting better one day at a time."

Kiera Booth paced Villanova (3-8) with nine kills on a .583 hitting percentage. Sophomore Ellery Gray earned her first career start and tallied 17 assists and five blocks in the contest. Middle blocker Izzy Plummer contributed a match-high eight blocks for the 'Cats, while libero Elizabeth Feczko put up a team-high 14 digs.

Both teams were sharp early, as the opening set was back and forth throughout. Villanova went up 19-17, but a 5-0 SHU run advanced the Pioneers to a lead and eventually a 25-22 set victory.

VU hopped out to an early lead in the second frame, but Sacred Heart erased the advantage with another 5-0 run. The Pioneers continued to a win in the stanza, ending the frame with a .344 hitting percentage.

Sacred Heart dominated the beginning of the third, picking up an early 12-8 lead. Villanova brought the score to 14-14, but SHU snatched back momentum and proceeded to go up four. VU closed the gap to one, but the Pioneers were able to finish off the sweep.

UP NEXT: Villanova will finish out its nonconference slate on Saturday night, facing the Fordham Rams at 5 p.m. in both teams' finale of the Yale Invitational.