Volleyball Drops Two Matches on Saturday
Blue Devils host CCSU Invitational on September 18-19.
The Central Connecticut volleyball team dropped its final two matches at the Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic on Saturday. CCSU fell 3-0 to San Francisco and 3-1 against George Mason. The losses drop Central to 6-4 on the season.
CCSU 0, San Francisco 3 (20-25, 16-25, 6-25)
Central dropped a straight set loss against unbeaten San Francisco (9-0) in its opening match on Saturday. Classmates Brooke Schwab and Erika Jones led the Blue Devils with six kills apiece, while senior Makenna Lommori notched 23 assists and a team-high nine digs. Schwab added three block assists.
The Blue Devils were within 10-9 in the opening set before the Dons ran off three straight points to build a four-point cushion. CCSU eventually got back within 21-19 following four straight points through Schwab and Jones. The pair combined for a block and three kills, with Jones getting the final two in the run before USF scored four of the final five points to win.
USF led throughout the second set and used runs of four and five straight points to build an early 12-3 lead. Central got back within 18-12, but San Francisco did not allow the Blue Devils any closer in the 25-16 win.
The Blue Devils were unable to find a groove in the third set as USF used a run of 11 unanswered points to build a comfortable lead. The Dons closed the match out with the final four points to claim the 3-0 win.
USF hit .611 as a team for the match, while limiting CCSU to -.250. Katarina Pilepic led the way with 12 kills. Kiara McKibben had 19 assists and Kim Gutierrez and Jessica Gaffney had 17 and 10 digs, respectively.
CCSU 1, George Mason 3 (15-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-27)
Central fell to George Mason in a closely contested match, 3-1, to close out play at the Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic. The Patriots took a 2-0 lead, but the Blue Devils fought back to take the third set before GMU closed the match out in the fourth set.
The Patriots used a run of 12 unanswered points to pull away and claim the victory in the opening set. The teams were knotted at 22-22 in the second set before GMU could score the final three points to claim the set.
Central used a fast start to hold on for the win in the third set. The Blue Devils got out to a 7-3 lead, before the Patriots clawed back to get within a point on five occasions. CCSU managed to maintain the lead throughout, however, and Dean posted the final two kills for Central to win the set.
The fourth set went back-and-forth with George Mason scoring five straight to go ahead 5-1 and eventually led 17-11. The Blue Devils were able to rally with a 12-3 run and eventually went ahead with five straight points to take a 23-20 lead. CCSU held a 25-24 lead, but GMU managed to claim the set and match with three straight points.
Freshmen Raquel Quirarte led CCSU with 16 kills, while junior Nicole Dean added 13 kills and seven block assists. Lommori racked up 39 assists and 14 digs, while junior Rachel Fish had 27 digs. Senior Rachel Trueman and Quirarte each added 12 digs.
Morghan Martin led a balanced GMU attack with 12 kills, while Montana Green had 48 assists. Jelena Cobanovic finished with 32 digs.
The Blue Devils return home next weekend to host the CCSU Invitational on Friday and Saturday.