A weekend away from closing the regular season, Central Connecticut’s volleyball team split results in their final road games of the season. With their win Friday against Fairleigh Dickinson (0-11 ), the Blue Devils clinched a spot in the North East Conference Tournament.

It was smooth sailing for the Blue Devils in Friday’s win, sweeping Fairleigh Dickinson in straight sets by a combined margin of 38 points.

After two points from FDU started the match, CCSU rattled off a 9-0 lead, using four errors from the Knights to their advantage over the run. The Blue Devils maintained dominance for the remainder of the set, leading by as much as 13 before a kill from Gala Galabova would seal the first set, 25-16.

The second set saw even bigger leads for the Blue Devils, who took it whole handed over the Knights. Madelyn Kaprelyan and Emma Henderson each contributed five hits in the set, which helped CCSU hold a lead as large as 14 during the set. An error from FDU on set point would win the Blue Devils the second set, 25-11.

The Blue Devils stayed sharp in the third and final set of the match. Three service aces from Henderson helped CCSU jump out to a quick 9-0 lead. Central Connecticut closed the match with a 6-1 run, winning with a 15-point lead, their biggest of the game.

Erin McDermott stuffed the stat sheet, posting a double-double with a team-leading 25 assists and 12 digs. Kaprelyan had a double-double of her own on the night, with 13 kills and 12 assists.

The Blue Devils traveled to Fairfield for their second match of the weekend, playing Sacred Heart. The Pioneers, who CCSU beat in their last matchup 3-1,  are fourth in NEC standings behind the Blue Devils. CCSU was unable to ward off SHU for a second time on the season, getting swept in Saturday’s match.

Four kills and an ace pushed the Pioneers through a 5-0 to start the match, halted only by a kill from Henderson. Central would not come closer than four, unable to spark any momentum for a comeback. The Pioneers would close the set out on a 7-2 run, winning 25-11.

The Pioneers strung together more runs in the second set, taking an early lead in the set and continuing to pile on throughout. A kill from Raquel Quirarte would cut the Pioneer lead down to a point, but like clockwork, SHU answered back with four straight points of their own. The Pioneers led by as much of 12 en route to a 25-16 victory in the set.

For the first time in the match, CCSU had a lead during the early stages of the third set. This lead would not stretch out too much. Trailing 7-6, SHU was able to churn out a quick 8-0 run to regain the lead. The Pioneers would not push the lead much past this, as the Blue Devils were able to come back to within two late. A Henderson kill would be the only Blue Devil score to come between three of the Pioneers, closing the set with a 25-21 victory and completing the sweep of CCSU.

With the loss, Central now holds an 8-4 conference record, good for third place in the NEC. The Blue Devils will finish off the regular season at home this weekend, with games against Saint Francis Brooklyn and LIU Brooklyn, last year’s tournament champions.