Petrella and DeLacey Named All-Conference; Petrella Named Libero of the Year for Second Time

Senior Kaitlin Petrella and junior Sara DeLacey were named to All-Northeast Conference on Friday night at the annual banquet held by the NEC. Petrella added her second straight NEC Libero of the Year honor, and was named to the First Team All-NEC squad. DeLacey added Second Team honors. Central is the #4 seed in the NEC Tournament and will play top seed Sacred Heart on Saturday at SHU at 4 p.m.

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Petrella posted an impressive final season in Blue and White, worthy of her second consecutive NEC Libero of the Year distinction and third All-Conference selection. As a staple in Central Connecticut's defensive strategy she ranks first on the team and second on the circuit in digs (511) and digs per set (4.78). Her hustle in the backcourt led the Blue Devils to the conference's second-best digs per game average (15.81).

Petrella is also ranked third in the league for hammering 40 service aces in 2010. Always a consistent player, the libero surpassed her team's career dig record of 1,215 in just her sophomore campaign. Now entering her final postseason appearance, she has brought her all-time tally to an impressive 2,004 total. Adding to her notable career feat, the senior owns the Blue Devil single-season record for racking up 594 digs in 2007.

Capping off Central Connecticut's All-Conference honors is DeLacey, chosen to the second team. The outside hitter excelled for the Blue Devils offensively, sporting a .311 hitting clip for sixth best in the conference. The Minnesota native performed best when the team needed her most. Against Quinnipiac in the last match of the season, Delacey posted 18 kills in only 25 attempts over the course of four sets. She hit .600 while making only three errors in the entire match to help Central clinch a playoff bid.

The Blue Devils open NEC Tournament play on Saturday at Sacred Heart at 4 p.m. If the Blue Devils can get by top-seed Sacred Heart, they would advance to the NEC Final on Sunday at 3 p.m.