The CCSU Volleyball team played host to the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights over the weekend for a pair of Northeast Conference matches.
The Blue Devils partnered with Jamaal Wagner and the CCSU Office of Victim Advocacy to dedicate Friday’s match to survivors of domestic violence. During pregame warmups, the team sported purple T-shirts with the phrase “love shouldn’t hurt” on the front.
The Office of Victim Advocacy is located on the third floor of Willard-DiLoreto Hall, in room D305. Their services include education, advocacy and support for victims of domestic violence, as well as victims of other circumstances.
On Saturday, the Blue Devils played for Morgan’s Message, a non-profit organization founded and operated by the friends and family of Morgan Rodgers, a former student-athlete at Duke University who died by suicide in 2019 after a battle with mental health struggles.
The organization’s mission is to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health among student-athletes with the goal of normalizing conversations surrounding mental health, as well as empowering and encouraging anyone, student-athlete or not, to ask for help when they are struggling.
The company’s slogan, “Taking a Shot at Mental Health,” is a nod to Rodgers’s lifelong sport of lacrosse, as well as a reminder that mental health is not something that is impossible to improve, regardless of how it may seem.
Senior Maddie Massaro-Cook, an avid mental health advocate, said that struggling with mental health is not a sign of weakness, but asking for help is a sign of strength.
“Your athletic performance does not define you as an individual,” Massaro-Cook said. “Know that with yourself and your feelings, you’re never alone, no matter what struggle you’re going through.”
First-year head coach Alyssa Broccoli said her message for both mental health and domestic violence struggles is to ask for help.
“We need to lean on each other, especially when something doesn’t feel right,” she said. “The moment you bottle it all in, you’re going to crack.
Despite the 3-0 sweep by FDU on Friday, the Blue Devils put in a valiant effort, particularly in the first and third sets. In search of their second conference set win of the season, Central lost the final set 25-23, the closest of the evening.
Senior Lauren Milani just missed a double-double, finishing the match with nine kills and nine digs. Freshman Olivia Keckler also had another strong showing, collecting six kills and five digs. Sophomore setter Kylee Baranski drew the majority of the setting duties, racking up 21 assists on the night.
Keckler and fellow freshman, Annabelle Denommé, have both played major roles for the Blue Devils thus far, including a Northeast Conference (NEC) Rookie of the Week nod for Keckler. Broccoli said she has been impressed with how the pair have adjusted and contributed to the college game.
“They’re rising to the occasion,” Broccoli said. “It’s not an easy role to come in and play Division I volleyball and be a starter and have the team depend on you. They’re handling it with grace… They’re having difficulties, but it’s good.”
The Blue Devils slept on the momentum from Friday’s final set to return to Dietrick on Saturday afternoon and obliterate the Knights in the first set of the afternoon. Central couldn’t recapture the magic for the rest of the match, however,as FDU turned around and took three straight sets to extend their win streak to an NEC best 12 matches in a row.
Despite the loss, Milani finished the job and collected her double-double, totaling ten kills and 14 digs. She was matched step-for-step by senior Bella Bratzke, who came off the bench to rack up a team-high 16 kills and 11 digs. Senior Amanda Tokam contributed a strong nine kills to the cause.
Bratzke, who started nearly every match in 2023 under former coach Linda Sagnelli, said she was grateful for the opportunity and will continue to play as a teammate first, regardless of her role.
“I know that my teammates and my coach have faith in me and trust me to go out there and kill it,” Bratzke said. “Having a great game, I know that I can do it again, and I know I can do better. This gives me a lot more confidence going forward.”
The Blue Devils, having played two of the strongest teams in the conference, look to keep learning and improving as they continue to search for their first NEC win. They travel to Mercyhurst for a pair of bouts with the Lakers on Friday, Oct. 25 and Saturday, Oct. 26.
