The Central Connecticut State University volleyball team held a student-athlete mental health awareness night at Detrick Gymnasium on Friday, Oct. 20, at a match against Long Island University.
As part of the event, the team collected donations for Morgan’s Message, a non-profit organization aiming to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health in sports. Donations can be made at https://www.morgansmessage.org/donate.
Senior Margaret Nolan was a pivotal part of organizing the night. As a strong mental health advocate, Nolan is very passionate about mental health.
“[Good mental health] means being happy and not having a sense of feeling alone,” Nolan said. “One of the most important things, being an athlete, is that you have a sense of comfort around the people that you’re playing with, and if you’re on the right team, you’ll feel strength with each other.”
Morgan’s Message was founded in honor of former Duke University student-athlete Morgan Rodgers after she committed suicide following a long, silent mental health struggle. The organization aims to eliminate the stigma that student-athletes are too tough to talk about mental health, according to their website.
Carrying an equally strong passion for mental health, junior Madison Massaro-Cook continues to take a strong stand against the stigma.
“Athletes are supposed to be people who are tough and strong and mentally strong,” Massaro-Cook said. “When they are struggling with issues where they are not in a good headspace, they get looked down upon when they reach out for help because they are supposed to have that tough, strong shell.”
Head coach Linda Sagnelli supports her players as athletes and ensures that her team stays mentally healthy as students.
“[Mental health] means everything,” Sagnelli said. “What we ask our student-athletes to do is a lot, and there are a lot of things that aren’t easy. Mental health is very important to your daily life, but also when you have the stress of competition. You have to be able to have very healthy outlooks.”
However, the Blue Devils couldn’t translate the positive energy into a win, falling to LIU in four hard-fought sets.
After winning the first set 28-26, Central couldn’t recapture the magic. They lost the second set 25-21, the third set 27-25, and couldn’t keep the fourth set close, dropping it 25-18.
Freshman Victoria Sanabria could do no wrong on offense, logging 14 kills with just three errors. She also assisted on a block and led the team in points despite not starting any of the four sets.
Sanabria largely credited her big night to her coaches and teammates.
“In practice, Coach [Sagnelli] kept pushing me to be a better player,” Sanabria said. “My teammates also push me, and it really gives me the confidence to play well.”
Sophomore Weronika Poczynek continued her breakout season, totaling 11 kills and 25 receptions while finishing just behind Sanabria with 13 points.
Also contributing on offense was junior Isabella Bratzke with nine kills and four assists, as well as junior Mia Lombardo with seven kills.
Fellow freshmen Kylee Baranski and Massaro-Cook had 13 assists and 22 assists, respectively. The duo combined for just two errors in the match.
The Blue Devils totaled 11 blocks as a team, with Lombardo and junior Kaylin Hadley leading the way. Hadley had three solo blocks and three block assists. Lombardo added a solo block and four assists. Bratzke and senior Isabelle Roufs contributed two assists each. Roufs also added a solo block for good measure.
Bratzke, Poczynek, and junior Lauren Milani kept the sets close by extending rallies and combining for 52 of Central’s 75 digs.
CCSU faces Fairleigh Dickinson at home on Saturday, Oct. 21, then will take on Sacred Heart University on Friday, Oct. 27, to finish their five-game homestand.
