Baumert Leads CCSU To Win in First Northeast Conference Match

Senior captain Jamie Baumert recorded 13 kills on a .542 hitting percentage to lead the Central Connecticut State University volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-17, 25-14, 21-25, 25-22) victory over Quinnipiac on Wednesday night. Baumert and junior Tori Vaughan each totaled a match-best six blocks in CCSU's first Northeast Conference match of the season.

After a tightly contested beginning, the Blue Devils took control of the first set when they broke an 11-11 tie on a kill by freshman Emily Cochran. CCSU then went on a 14-6 run to win the opening frame, 25-17. Junior Maite Mendizabal got Central out of the gates early, as she led the team with seven kills and four digs in the first set.

Quinnipiac got off to a quick start in the second set, scoring the first five points. Sophomore Alyssa Naylor had two kills during the stretch. CCSU grinded their way back into the set and tied it at 13-13 on a kill by freshman Blaike King. Sophomore Kelby Carey scored the next point for the Bobcats to regain the lead, but Baumert countered with a kill of her own to tie the set at 14. Sophomore Danielle Gasser then served out the rest of the set, as Central scored the final 11 points to win 25-14. Gasser had two aces during the stretch to give CCSU a 2-0 lead.

The Bobcats controlled the third set early, and maintained their steady lead throughout. Quinnipiac broke a 4-4 tie and never relinquished the lead after that point. They took the set 25-21 to cut the CCSU lead to 2-1. The Blue Devils were led by Cochran's four kills and junior Kaitlin Petrella's six digs in the set.

Central came out to an early deficit again in the fourth set as Quinnipiac shot out to an 8-2 lead off of a kill by Carey. After a CCSU timeout, the Blue Devils started to fight their way back into the set. They trailed the entire way until Baumert and Cochran blocked an attack by sophomore Anna Barczak to tie the set at 21-21. The two teams then alternated points before Central scored the final three points of the match to win the fourth set, 25-22.

Cochran finished with 10 kills and eight digs, while Petrella tallied a team high 18 digs in the Blue Devil victory. Junior captain Amanda Bayer and sophomore Sara DeLacey each tallied four blocks for CCSU, which outblocked the Bobcats by a count of 12-4. Bayer also led the way with a match-best 38 assists and added 11 digs. Gasser also tallied 11 digs to go along with her two service aces.

Naylor led Quinnipiac with a match high 15 kills, whle Carey finished with 11 kills and 16 digs on the night. Freshman Logan Riker recorded 20 digs, while sophomore Kayla Lawler totaled 36 assists to lead the Bobcats.

The Blue Devils are now 1-0 in the NEC and 4-7 overall and will next head to the Yale Invitational on September 25 and 26. Quinnipiac falls to 1-11 on the year and 1-1 in conference play.