Volleyball Slips in Five Sets at LIU in NEC Opener

The Central Connecticut volleyball team fell at LIU, 3-2, in the Northeast Conference opener for both squads on Friday night. The Blue Devils took the opening two sets before the Sharks rallied to win the five-set thriller.

The Blue Devils travel to FDU for a Saturday evening matchup.

GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE

Score:  CCSU 2, LIU 3 (23-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-14, 15-7)
Records: CCSU (1-11, 0-1 NEC), LIU (2-12, 1-0 NEC)
Location: Steinberg Wellness Center | Brooklyn, NY

KEY MOMENTS

• The Blue Devils opened the match with a pair of four-point runs. Isabelle Roufs would tally three straight kills and another by Isabella Bratzke would make it 9-4. LIU would recover to level the set at 11-all and from their neither team was able to separate. CCSU would call a timeout with the set tied at 22 and came out of the stoppage with a kill by Weronika Poczynek and a block by Poczynek and Kaylin Hadley enroute to winning the opening set.
• In the second set, neither squad led by more than two points throughout before CCSU took a 22-19 lead following a kill by Poczynek. A kill by Larissa Heimer would set up set point at 24-22. Following a point by the Sharks, Bratzke would close out the set to give CCSU a 2-0 lead in the match.
• Central would score five straight points to go ahead 5-1 in the third set. CCSU pushed the lead to 12-5 after an LIU error. The Sharks would recover by outscoring Central, 8-1, to tie the set at 13-13. CCSU would tie the set at 23 after a kill by Poczynek, but LIU would score two points to close the set and extend the match.
• LIU raced out to a 5-1 lead in the fourth set and would not trail from then on. The lead would expand to 19-7 before LIU eventually closed out the set to force a decisive fifth frame.
• In the fifth set, LIU scored the first three points and would stretch the lead to 5-1 before a CCSU timeout. Central would break the momentum with a kill by Mia Lombardo, but the Sharks would push ahead, 11-4, to force another timeout. The teams would trade points until LIU closed out the match with a 15-7 win in the frame.

NUMBER TO KNOW

3 – Poczynek had her third straight double-double.

NOTES

• Since winning back-to-back matches against LIU, the Blue Devils have lost three meetings in the series.
• Poczynek finished with 10 kills and a season-high 30 digs for her third straight double-double.
• Heimer collected 37 assists and three kills. She entered the match ranked second in the NEC, averaging 7.62 assists per set.
• Roufs finished with a season-high 12 kills and hit .400. She added a team-high six blocks.
• Lauren Milani (13), Louise Lion (13) and Bratzke (12) had double-figure dig totals.

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils travel to FDU for a Saturday evening matchup.

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