The CCSU women’s volleyball team picked up their second win of the season on Tuesday night against St. Peter’s University in head coach Alyssa Broccoli’s first home win since taking over the team. 

There were many standout players in their sweep of the Peacocks, including junior outside hitter Weronika Poczynek, who finished with 11 kills, and freshman opposite hitter Olivia Keckler, who ended the night with 12 kills and just one error.  

Keckler spoke on how her teammates helped her during the match.  

“Our sets are great, our passes are great, and that all helps me execute,” Keckler said. 

Defensively, freshman libero Annabelle Denomme had 14 digs, while junior middle blocker Amanda Tokam paired 3 digs of her own with 5 assisted blocks.  

Senior Lauren Milani said they’ve been working very hard to tighten up on defense  

“[We’ve been really working on] staying in our defensive positions, and doing our jobs, and letting our teammates do their jobs so we can flow nicely on the court,” Milani said.  

The Blue Devils jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set with a dig and an ace from Milani, but the Peacocks battled back to knot up the score at 5 a piece. The Devils then took an 11-7 lead behind a kill and 2 aces from Poczynek, and Milani continued her first set dominance with another kill, an ace and a dig followed by a block assist from Tokam to extend their lead 18-12. Tokam’s second assisted block put the Devils up 23-20, and 2 points later, Central took the first set 25-20.  

Milani pointed out consistency and strategy as keys on offense. 

“Our biggest thing is just staying consistent, knowing when to execute… and knowing their defense… [and] being intentional with our swings,” she said. 

The second set began just like the first, as another ace by Milani put Central ahead 4-0, but Saint Peter’s battled back to take a 6-5 lead. After a flurry of kills from Poczynek, the Blue Devils took a 20-18 lead, but the Peacocks went on a 4-0 run of their own.  

Coach Broccoli preached aggressive play from the jump.  

“I told them to be aggressive when the opportunity was right… I reinforced, ‘Hey we’re in the red zone, when you have the right opportunity to swing to score, go for it!’”. After a few blown serves from Saint Peters, Central squeaked out a 27-25 match victory. 

Both teams struggled to complete a serve to begin the third set but after kills from Poczynek and Milani, who also had another ace, the Devils took a 12-9 lead. A dig from Denomme and a kill from Milani put the Blue Devils up 18-17. Milani followed up with a block assist and the Devils had the Peacocks on the ropes, 20-17.  

Two kills from senior middle blocker Kaylin Hadley and a costly serve by the Peacocks gave Central a 23-19 lead. Saint Peter’s then put together a 3-point run to try to stay in the match, but the Blue Devils completed the sweep in a 25-22 victory.  

Keckler said their team chemistry helped them keep their momentum.  

“We stayed together, we kept great energy throughout the entire time, and I think our bench really helps us stay up and trust ourselves,” she said. 

The Blue Devils will hit the road on Friday to compete in the Holly Young Invitational in Durham, New Hampshire.