Volleyball Sweeps Saint Francis U on Friday Night

The Central Connecticut volleyball team defeated Saint Francis U on Friday in straight sets, 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-20), at Detrick Gymnasium. The Blue Devils had six players post at least five kills and hit .248 as a team. CCSU has won three straight Northeast Conference matches and improved to 11-6 overall and 4-2 in league play with the win.

The Blue Devils host Robert Morris at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Junior Raquel Quirarte, sophomore Morgan Woycik and freshman Emma Henderson led Central with seven kills each. Quirarte added a team-high 14 digs. Junior Kaitlyn Kushman and sophomore Erin McDermott each had 16 assists.

CCSU hit .333 in the first set as a team and used a 5-0 run to take control of the set early on. Senior Maddie Smith served four points during the run and Quirarte had three straight kills as Central would build a 7-2 lead. The Blue Devils would lead throughout and lead by at least three points the rest of the frame. A kill by Smith closed the set, 25-17, for CCSU.

Central ran off seven unanswered points in the middle of the second set to build an 18-9 lead. Henderson served six straight points, including back-to-back aces, as the Blue Devils turned a two-point lead into a nine-point cushion. Henderson would later close the set out with a kill.

The Blue Devils scored the first three points of the third set, but would lead just 13-12 midway through the frame. A 5-1 run would put CCSU in control at 23-16 and Woycik closed out the straight-set win with a kill.

Defensively, CCSU held SFU to a .078 attacking percentage as a team. The Blue Devils recorded 10 blocks as a team, including five from freshman Eline van Heijningen and four from Smith.

Central is back in action on Saturday afternoon with a 4:00 p.m. match against Robert Morris in Detrick Gym.