Volleyball Falls to Stonehill in Five Sets

The Central Connecticut volleyball team fell to Stonehill in five sets on Saturday at Detrick Gymnasium. CCSU honored its senior class of Isabelle Roufs, Mia Lombardo and Margaret Nolan and team manager Donesha Noble prior to the match.

The match was the final one of head coach Linda Sagnelli's career. She announced her retirement earlier in the season and is the all-time winningest coach in CCSU program history.

GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE

Score:  CCSU 2, Stonehill 3 (26-24, 22-25, 25-19, 13-25, 15-9)
Records: CCSU (6-20, 5-9 NEC), Stonehill (3-29, 3-11 NEC)
Location: Detrick Gymnasium | New Britain, CT

KEY MOMENTS

• CCSU led 10-7 midway through the opening set following a kill by Isabella Bratzke to cap a run of three straight points. Central would manage to maintain a lead throughout much of the opening frame and went ahead 23-21 following a kill by Isabelle Roufs. Stonehill rebounded with a run of three straight points to gain set point. A kill by Weronika Poczynek would tie the set temporarily before the Skyhawks scored two straight to win the set.
• Central rebounded in the second by jumping out to a 7-2 lead following a kill by Poczynek. Stonehill would eventually climb back and tied the set at 10-10 after scoring three in a row. CCSU trailed at 18-16 before tying the score at 20-all after a kill by Victoria Sanabria. The Blue Devils would score four straight to go ahead 23-20 and eventually win the set 25-22 after a block by Sanabria.
• In the third set, CCSU led 5-4 before Stonehill scored 11 straight points to take control with a 15-5 lead. Central would be unable to get closer than 21-16 as the Skyhawks went ahead 2-1 in the match.
• The Blue Devils would take an early 7-3 lead in the fourth set after an ace by Roufs. Central would lead throughout the set and go on to comfortably force a fifth set.
• In the fifth set, Stonehill scored three straight to take a 5-2 lead. Central would get within 8-7 after a kill by Bratzke, but Stonehill did not surrender the lead and scored five straight points to close the match.

NUMBER TO KNOW

24 – The match was Linda Sagnelli's final match after announcing her retirement after 24 seasons at the helm of CCSU.

NOTES

• Stonehill won both meetings this season.
• Sanabria had a team-high 12 kills and hit .391 in the match.
• Lombardo had 10 kills and hit .364.
• Roufs finished with seven kills, an ace, and a block
• Nolan had a match-high 21 digs.
• Larissa Hiemer had 25 assists and three service aces.
• Kylee Baranski added 21 assists.
• In 24 seasons leading CCSU, Sagnelli won 353 matches and was named NEC Coach of the Year four times, while her teams have been recognized with the AVCA Team Academic Award for the past 17 seasons.

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