By Chris McLaughlin
The CCSU Volleyball team (9-17 (6-8 NEC))was defeated by NEC rival Sacred Heart University three sets to two one in Wednesday’s match up.
The Blue Devils lost the first two sets 25-23 and 28-18, before bouncing back to win the next two sets 25-19 and 15-22. Despite the comeback, CCSU would drop the final set 15-13 to lose the match to the top NEC team.
“We’ve been fighters all year; we’ve been through quite a lot together. I’m disappointed we lost, but I’m proud of the way we played. If we execute we can beat anybody,” said Head Coach Linda Sagnelli.
During the first set, CCSU was able to keep it close, but a few crucial errors kept them from winning. The Blue Devils made seven errors on attacks while Sacred Heart only made four. This proved to be the difference as the Blue Devils lost by only two points. Sacred Heart sophomore Elise Sage led all attackers with five kills, while CCSU had four players with three kills each.
“Game one, the focus was there but the execution wasn’t. It was disappointing to lose the set the way we did,” said Sagnelli.
While the first set was close, the second set was not. During the set CCSU was only able to score on five kills, while Sacred Heart’s attackers found the floor 18 times. Sacred Heart also compiled 18 assists while CCSU was only able to get five. The final score was only as close as it was, because of six serving errors by Sacred Heart and eight CCSU blocks.
“In game two we had eight bad passes on one option balls, added with all of our net violations we gave them around 15 points. We still weren’t executing the way we needed to, and we were leaving way too many holes on the court,” said Sagnelli.
Although Sacred Heart once again had more kills than CCSU, the Blue Devils made fewer mistakes and were able to come out on top. Sacred Heart had 14 kills and 11 assists, both of which topped CCSU, but made nine attack errors and four serve errors. CCSU also kept up their domination of the net with eight blocks. Down two sets, CCSU continued to battle and were rewarded with the victory.
“During the break between sets two and three, my main focus was executing better. I told them if we execute we can win the match, if we don’t were going to lose all three sets,” said Sagnelli.
CCSU was able to keep up their momentum for the fourth set, and once again capitalized on Sacred Heart errors. For the fourth straight set, Sacred Heart had more kills and assists than CCSU, but for the second consecutive set they made more errors. Nine attacking errors and five serving errors prevented Sacred Heart from winning the match in the fourth set. Once again, CCSU dominated the net with 12 blocks, including rejecting the last three Sacred Heart attacks to send the game into the fifth set. By the end of the set, CCSU seemed to have all the momentum, and looked prepared to upset the number one team in their conference.
“The only thing I talked about for the fourth set was for a strong block. I couldn’t have asked them to do any better,” said Sagnelli.
With momentum on the Blue Devils’ side, CCSU came out strong in the fifth set. The team jumped out to an early lead before Sacred Heart remembered who the number one team, and started playing like it. Sacred Heart overcame CCSU’s momentum to tie the game, before CCSU’s errors ended it. The Blue Devils once again made fewer errors, but the ones they did make came at critical points, including the final play of the match.
“Game five could have gone either way,” said Sagnelli. “We had some miscues and we were under setting the ball. The little things matter and they made the difference in this one.”
Even though CCSU didn’t win the game, the fact that the team took the number one squad to its limits, which gives the Blue Devils confidence going into the last stretch of the season.
“We’re in a fight for fourth place but if we make it in we can beat anybody. We had a tough first half of the season, but we’ve pulled together and our bond is starting to show on the court,” said Sagnelli.
The Blue Devils season is winding down, with only two matches left to secure a spot in the NEC tournament. CCSU plays the final home game of the season on Saturday Nov. 13 against the number two team in the NEC, Long Island University.
