Bounce, bounce, bounce, silence — as the ball gracefully rises in the air, the women of CCSU’s volleyball team get into loaded positions and eagerly await the ball to soar overhead. As the fragile score of 24-24 clings to the will of the opposing team, the overwhelming power of Central’s front line pushes the University of New Haven Chargers to their limit. 

In a game where one minute turns to five and a blink of an eye could cause you to miss the sweltering speed of CCSU’s attack, the Blue Devils completed a sweep of three sets against the Chargers on Nov. 8 in Detrick Gymnasium. 

The gym was full of cheers from supporters in the stands and echoed by both benches, opting to never sit but instead fuel their teammates with the passion necessary to get a much-needed win. 

Throughout the game there were moments showcasing unwavering chemistry between setter Anja Milosevic and the rest of the team, with her finishing the game with 41 assists. This contribution, 89% of the team’s total assists, was essential for middle blocker Breanna Ginley to convert plays to points. 

“I wouldn’t have been able to get a lot of my kills if it weren’t for Anja setting me up,” Ginley said. “The pass always comes first, so having Anja there is really important to that success.” 

Throughout the game, Ginley made momentum-halting blocks, effortlessly tipped the ball to the other side of the net to force mistakes and selflessly made her rounds in and out of the rotation to effectively utilize her presence. 

However, the stakes of the game were anything but just another day at work for the players. The game was senior night, and the difference between winning and losing meant putting a playoff run in jeopardy. 

For outside hitter Weronika Poczynek, the arrival of her family was invigorating, and so were the stakes the volleyball team was playing for. 

“Last season, around this time, we knew we weren’t going to make it, but now we can still hope to have playoff success,” she said. “With it being senior night and everything, we were definitely motivated, and it made today’s sweep even better.” 

Poczynek had a momentous showing, scoring 17 kills in front of her family, who had to travel thousands of miles to see her in her element. 

“I actually haven’t seen them in six months, so this night was really special for me,” she said. “They live all the way in Poland, so they came all the way here to see my final game at CCSU.” 

This road was anything but easy for a volleyball team hoping to take its program to the next level. Prior to senior night, in their first bout with the Chargers, they dropped the first two sets of that match and had to claw their way back to get the win. 

The change in pace for the Blue Devils led to them winning six straight sets over the course of two days. Head coach Alyssa Broccoli said the effort shows what the women are capable of. 

“We’ve been in situations like these before, and we haven’t been as successful,” she said. “All the points on the board are mistakes … but we came in more confident than yesterday and we got the job done.” 

Broccoli said that leading up to this series, they’ve been taking a game-by-game mindset to avoid stressing the players in a time of urgency. 

“We’re not going to practice crazy hard or treat these next few games as being different than the earlier games we’ve played,” she said. “Our goal was to accomplish today by coming in and handling our business.” 

With the matchup against FDU determining the outcome of the team’s postseason, every game, every set, every point matters to these women. 

“Job’s not finished,” Ginley said.