Central Connecticut State University volleyball took down Northeast Conference powerhouse Sacred Heart University in decisive fashion on Friday, Oct. 27, in Detrick Gymnasium.
The upset raised Central’s NEC record to 3-7, 4-18 overall.
The Blue Devils came out firing, winning the first set 25-21. After dropping the second set 25-20, CCSU put the match away with back-to-back 25-17 wins in sets three and four.
The story of the match for the Blue Devils was playing mistake-free volleyball. The offense stacked up 53 kills and made just 19 attacking errors.
Sophomore Weronika Poczynek made her usual impact, accounting for 13 kills on 38 attempts while leading the team in points with 15.5 and placing second in digs with 17.
The Blue Devil offense spread the wealth, with six players, including Poczynek, reaching eight kills.
Junior Lauren Milani put up ten, freshman Victoria Sanabria and junior Mia Lombardo had nine each, and senior Isabelle Roufs accounted for eight.
The dynamic duo of junior Madison Massaro-Cook and freshman Kylee Baranski spread the ball around the court efficiently, with 26 and 18 assists, respectively. Central did not make a single setting error in the match.
Head coach Linda Sagnelli attributed the spread-out offense to a recent strategic change and Sanabria’s recent breakout.
“When we made the switch to a six-two [rotation], we put Victoria [Sanabria] in the other opposition, and she’s been doing phenomenally,” Sagnelli said. “It adds another attacker, and she’s got a great swing.”
The extra attacker put Sacred Heart on their heels in the first set, and they never recovered.
The defense was led by anchors Lombardo and Roufs, as well as junior Isabella Bratzke.
Bratzke, on an off-night offensively, contributed a solo block and five block assists, while Lombardo assisted four times.
Milani, usually a libero, took her talents to the outside in the match. Despite playing in a different position, her skill set remained potent, as she added 23 receptions and 22 digs to her impressive day.
She said that this game against their in-state rival was a major point of emphasis.
“This week in practice, we were very focused on staying super aggressive on offense,” Milani said. “I think that really showed in our game today.”
Starting at libero for the Blue Devils was Margaret Nolan. Usually a hitter, Nolan was given the opportunity to show her talents in a different role.
While her play didn’t fill the stat sheet, Nolan provided a spark to the Blue Devils as a vocal leader and an energizer on the floor. She credited her success to team camaraderie.
“It’s awesome to be a part of a team that’s so supportive of each other,” Nolan said. “We’ve had to switch around a lot of positions this year, so to keep supporting each other is awesome.”
CCSU is on the road next weekend, playing at Le Moyne on Nov. 4 and at Saint Francis University on Nov. 5 before coming home for their final two matches of the season.
