Before Northeast Conference play begins this Friday, Central Connecticut volleyball would have one final weekend to improve upon their weaknesses and continue honing their strengths. CCSU would have this opportunity about a half hour from their home court as they took part in the Hartford Invitational Tournament.

The Blue Devils’ first game of the tournament came against the Lafayette Leopards. CCSU used an early 4-0 run to lead Lafayette, but exchanged leads often after that. There were 12 ties in the opening set, with the last coming as Central tied it back up at 22 a piece. Lafayette scored the ensuing three points to take the set 25-22.

After struggling in a tight first set, the Blue Devils shifted the momentum their way in the second. The Leopards tied the game early at five, but consecutive aces from junior Samantha McCreath helped CCSU pull away with a 9-2 run. Freshman Molly Pincince similarly ended the set and capped off an 8-0 run with a service ace. Pincince has been a serving specialist in high leverage situations for the Blue Devils this year despite only being a freshman.

The Blue Devils were primed to pull away with a third set victory. CCSU had an 8-1 lead to begin, but relinquished it late as the Leopards tied the set at 20. With set point lined up for CCSU, the Leopards outscored them 4-1 to take the third set 27-25.

The Blue Devils again led late in the fourth set. A McCreath kill put Central in control with an 18-17 lead, but the Blue Devils were again unable to close things out. CCSU scored only two as Lafayette took the set in eight points, winning the match.

“I don’t know if their nerves came into play or what it may be, but we have to work on the last part of the set when the score is tight,” head coach Linda Sagnelli said after the match. “In set two we were very sharp, we attacked. I think we lost that. You have to keep that in every point in every set for the entire match. We had a chance to win this match and I think it got away from us.”

CCSU’s middles led the way during the match. Senior Gala Galabova was a force to be reckoned with at the net, blocking eight balls and hitting .471 on the day. This hitting percentage was her second best of the season. Galabova’s freshman counterpart Isabella Rouffs was also a bright spot for the Blue Devils, hitting a team best .5 while adding in nine kills and four blocks.

“[Rouffs] is really coming into her own as a middle, she’s doing a great job,” Sagnelli said. “And she’s only going to keep getting better and better and better.”

The Blue Devils did not hang their heads after the close loss Friday. Saturday’s match-up with Maryland Eastern Shore proved to be a better showing for CCSU, demonstrating the skills and chemistry required to close out late into sets.

CCSU did not trail once in the first set, leading by as much as nine as they cruised to a 25-15 win. The defense stifled the Hawks, allowing only four kills for an even 0.00 hitting percentage.

The second set was more closely contested, but the Blue Devils pulled away in the match after MES tied the game at nine. They would not trail after this, and took the set 25-19.

After a 25-21 win by the Hawks in set three, the Blue Devils were in a tight spot in the fourth, trailing 6-2. CCSU was behind 23-22, but two kills from McCreath helped close out the set and match win.

On the win, McCreath believes it “shows how much we’ve been working on the team effort. We’ve really been trying to build our team chemistry because a lot of times that’s been lacking and it was very visual,” she said. “It shows that we’ve been putting in the work ourselves, so it starts with us and ends with us,” McCreath continued.

Sagnelli was most happy about how the Blue Devils won the match, explaining that mental toughness lost them the Lafayette match. “You can never sit back and assume that another team is going to make mistakes and give you points,” Sagnelli said. She added that the win “taught an important lesson to the team in the way that we finished.”

An interstate match-up was the tournament’s final game, as Hartford hosted the Blue Devils.

CCSU came into their second game of the day hot and held an 8-2 lead over the Hawks. They closed out the first with a statement 25-17 win.

This would be the last set CCSU won, losing three straight sets to end the game. The Blue Devils hit -.250 in the second, their worst percentage over the tournament in a single set.

“I just think that people are being way more aggressive to the ball than we are,” Sagnelli said. “Somebody’s got to step up as a leader and take ownership of everything, and then our game will turn around. It’s just a matter of believing yourself and not being afraid to be aggressive on the court, and right now that’s our biggest obstacle.”

The Blue Devils will have their shot at redemption Friday, as they take on LIU for the first NEC game of the season. Sagnelli “can’t wait to play LIU,” and believes “if we can just get everybody running on the same cylinders, then we’re gonna click. I see flashes of it.”