NEC Volleyball Tournament, CCSU vs. SHU
The Blue Devils will face Sacred Heart at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Central Connecticut Volleyball team is set to begin the Northeast Conference Tournament on Saturday evening. The #3 Blue Devils will face the #2 Sacred Heart Pioneers at 5:30 p.m. in the second match of the day. #1 Long Island will host #4 Robert Morris at 3:00 p.m. to open the tournament.
The 2011 Northeast Conference Tournament will be hosted by Long Island and will begin tonight with the annual pre-tournament banquet. The 2011 NEC All-Conference teams and season ending awards will be revealed at the event. On Saturday, both semifinal matches will be played, with the championship match scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Sunday.
The entire NEC Tournament can be seen live on NortheastConfernce.tv. It is free to watch and will feature play-by-play and in-game interviews with coaches.
NEC Volleyball Tournament Headquarters
The Blue Devils have posted an impressive 20-10 record this season along with an 11-5 mark in NEC action. Central has been led by its seniors Danielle Gasser and Sara DeLacey. Gasser has posted 1,211 assists as the Blue Devil setter this season and DeLacey has recorded a .350 hitting percentage good for third in the NEC.
Also leading the way for Central are junior's Emily Cochran and Jamie Rademacher. Cochran has posted 428 kills on the year. Her career total now stands at 1,010. Rademacher has been another key hitter for Central. She sports a team-high .354 hitting percentage heading into the tournament. Her mark is second in the NEC this season.
Defensively, the Blue Devils have received huge contributions from freshman libero Brittany Schumacher. She posted a team-high 483 digs this season for a 4.31 per set average.
The Blue Devils have a 2-4 record against the tournament field this season. Central dropped both matches with Sacred Heart and Long Island, but swept Robert Morris, winning 3-1 both times.
Saturday's semifinal match will be at a neutral site, the Blue Devils are 4-1 in such matches this season.
Check CCSUBlueDevil.com for the lasts information on the volleyball tournament, including the announcement of the 2011 NEC All-Conference teams.
