Volleyball Wins CCSU Invite with 3-0 Record
Sophomore Makenna Lommori was named the Tournament MVP and junior Rachel Dunlap earned a place on the all-tournament team.
The Central Connecticut volleyball team earned a pair of victories on Saturday. CCSU (8-5) captured a four set victory over NJIT before topping Fordham in a thrilling five set match. The final victory gave CCSU a perfect 3-0 record for the tournament.
CCSU vs. NJIT - W, 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-21)
CCSU vs. Fordham - W, 3-2 (25-19, 19-25, 25-23, 20-25, 16-14)
CCSU and Fordham played a tight contest, which required a fifth set to finally settle. The Blue Devils won the final set by scoring the final three points to tie the match at 14-14 and then pull ahead for the 16-14 victory. The final point of the match came on a serve by sophomore Makenna Lommori who registered an ace as the ball tipped the net and dropped onto Fordham's side of the court.
Lommori finished the Fordham match with 44 assists, 16 digs, two blocks and five kills.
Senior Veronika Ban led CCSU with 15 kills and a .414 hitting percentage. Ban also contributed to seven blocks in the match. Sophomore Heather Trueman (14) and freshman Cassidy Stankowski (10) also posted double-digit kills. Trueman (12) and Stankowski (11) also posted double-digit digs in the match.
Senior Amalia Ashley posted 16 digs, which matched Lommori for the team-high.
Junior Rachel Dunlap had a strong game with nine kills and seven blocks.
Earlier in the day CCSU defeated NJIT in four sets. CCSU won the second (25-20), third (25-23) and fourth (25-21) sets after dropping the opening game to the Highlanders, 25-23.
CCSU was led by Stankowski in the match. She had 17 kills and 13 digs. Dunlap was also strong with 15 kills and six block assists. Trueman also had a strong match with 10 kills and 13 digs.
In addition to Stankowski and Trueman posting 13 digs, junior Brittany Schumacher 14 and Ashley 10 also reached double-digits.
Lommori finished the match with 47 assists. She also had five blocks and five kills.
All-Tournament Team
CCSU - #8 Makenna Lommori - Tournament MVP
CCSU - #21 Rachel Dunlap
Hartford - #4 Jackie Tamburri
Hartford - #6 Sareeta Nethersole
Fordham - #11 Maria Rodenberg
NJIT - #14 Danica Vukotic
