Volleyball Pushes NJIT to Brink Before Falling in Seton Hall Classic Opener

The Central Connecticut volleyball team opened play at the Seton Hall Classic on Friday, falling to NJIT, 3-2. The Blue Devils were led by Olivia Keckler (20 kills, 11 digs) and Anja Milosevic (58 assists, 14 digs) who each recorded a double-double.

GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE

Score:  CCSU 2, NJIT 3 (24-26, 27-25, 25-17, 23-25, 15-11)
Records: CCSU (0-4), NJIT (2-3)
Location: Walsh Gymnasium | South Orange, NJ

KEY MOMENTS

• The opening set was back-and-forth throughout the early going. A kill by Keckler would tie the score at 14-14 midway through as neither team led by more than two points. After NJIT took a 23-21 lead, CCSU would call timeout to regroup. A kill by Weronika Poczynek would stem the tide before the Highlanders managed to serve for set point at 24-22. A pair of NJIT errors tied the score before a kill by Breanna Ginley gave Central a 25-24 lead and it would win on an error.
• NJIT would take its largest lead in the second frame at 15-12 before consecutive kills by Aubrey Stitcher and Amanda Tokam made it a one-point game. CCSU would forge ahead, 20-18, after kills by Poczynek and Keckler. Central would have a set-point at 24-23 that NJIT fended off and would eventually get back-to-back blocks to take the set, 27-25.
• After an opening kill by Poczynek in the third set, NJIT would take control and led throughout the frame. The score was tied 7-7 before the Highlanders used a 9-3 spurt to go ahead and would take a 2-1 lead in the match after closing out the frame, 25-17.
• In the fourth frame, NJIT led 11-7 before a kill by Poczynek sparked a run of four straight points that leveled the score following a Keckler kill. Facing a 23-22 deficit, CCSU rallied with back-to-back kills by Poczynek and Ginley before an NJIT error gave Central a 25-23 win in the set to even the match.
• In the deciding set, a pair of kills by Poczynek would help CCSU take an early 4-1 lead. NJIT would scrap back with a run of four straight points to edge ahead, 7-5. A kill by Stitcher tied the score at 8-8, but four straight NJIT points put the Highlanders in front and they would close out the match with back-to-back blocks.

NUMBER TO KNOW

58  – Milosevic tied the fifth-most assists for a match in CCSU program history.

NOTES

• Poczynek finished with a match-high 21 kills.
• Annabelle Denomme had a match-high 15 digs.
• Ginley finished with nine kills and a team-high two blocks.
• CCSU leads the all-time series, 8-3.

NEXT UP

• CCSU continues play at the Seton Hall Classic on Saturday against Iona.

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