By Christopher McLaughlin
The CCSU women’s volleyball team (3-10, 1-1 NEC) opened conference play with a sweep against Bryant University (13-6, 1-1 NEC), three sets to none.
It was the Blue Devils’ first home appearance of the season, and CCSU’s first win over a Northeast Conference rival. The Blue Devils won the sets 25-23, 25-18, and 25-23 respectively.
CCSU got off to a hot start during the first game and set the tone for the rest of the match. “We came out right from the start and controlled the ball which is something we’ve been working on in practice. It was great to see because they‘ve been working very hard on ball control and to see it payoff was very satisfying,” said head coach Linda Sagnelli.
The Blue Devils’ dominance was due in large part to the performance of Jamie Rademacher. “Jamie had a hand of gold; every hit seemed to find a spot. It was the best game she’s played,” said Sagnelli.
Rademacher scored on 16 of her 22 attacks for an outrageous kill percentage of .682. She also had one of CCSU’s four blocks to help the Blue Devils dominate both sides of the ball. Her performance set the bar for the rest of the team.
While having a strong performance such as Rademacher’s certainly helps, the rest of the team did their part in helping sweep against the Bull Dogs. Team captain Amanda Bayer had 40 assists during the three sets. “Amanda did a great job with her sets. She made it easy for our hitters to get good attacks,” said Sagnelli.
CCSU also got a solid effort from reigning NEC Rookie of the Year Emily Cochran who was fresh off an injury. “It was great having Emily back,” said Sagnelli “Having her back really anchors us, it gives us the experience we need out on the court. The girls look more comfortable with her out there. She is one of our primary ball handlers so it is really important having her out there.” Cochran’s 11 digs tied her with Kaitlin Petrella for team leader.
Getting Cochran back from injury was important, but there was another injured Blue Devil who didn’t get a chance to get in the game. Although she didn’t get any playing time, Coach Sagnelli anticipates Tori Vaughn coming back during the week.
“Tori Vaughn is ready to return to the lineup, but we don’t want to rush it. When she comes back we want it to be for the whole season so we’re trying to be very careful.” Despite the injured player, CCSU still got help off the bench. “Maite [Mendizabal] did an outstanding job filling in. With Tori out we need as much help as we can get off the bench so what she did was huge.”
Despite winning in three, CCSU seemed to have difficulty closing them out. The first and third set saw the Blue Devils allow their lead to dwindle before they won.
“We got sloppy towards the end of those sets. Our passing was very streaky and cost us a couple points but luckily we were able to grind out victories,” said Sagnelli.
CCSU will be on the road until Oct. 9 when they resume home play against NEC opponent Farleigh Dickinson (PA) at 4 p.m.
