Blue Devils Roll Past Bryant, 3-0

Senior captain Amanda Olmstead accumulated double digit kills for the eighth match in a row and the Central Connecticut (9-12) volleyball team defeated Bryant_16-16), 3-0, at Detrick Gymnasium on Wednesday night. The Blue Devils have now won five of their last six matches, recording three sweeps in the process. Olmstead tallied a match best 13 kills on .231 hitting percentage, while adding nine digs, three blocks and two aces.

The first set was competitive early with Bryant leading 6-5. CCSU then scored six points in a row to take an 11-6 lead over the Bulldogs. Sophomore setter Amanda Bayer was integral in the run, tallying two kills and a block. Bryant never got back into the set and Central won 25-15 when sophomore Lauren Snyder notched her second kill of the set off an assist from Bayer. Olmstead led the Blue Devils with four kills in the opening set, while Bayer tallied 10 assists.

CCSU made another mid-set rally when Snyder began serving. The Fort Mitchell, KY native led the Blue Devils to 10 straight points, increasing their lead from 7-6 to 17-6. Sophomore Tori Vaughan recorded three blocks and a kill in stretch to help CCSU pull away from Bryant. The Blue Devils went on to win 25-18 on a service ace by Olmstead. The senior captain recorded another six kills in the second set to lead Central, while she Vaughan notched three blocks a piece.

The third and final set was tightly contested as the teams were tied 16 times and eventually went into extra points. After a timeout by Bryant, with the score tied 22-22, Snyder came up huge. The outside hitter delivered five kills on the Blue Devils' next 10 points to lead them into extra points and on to victory. CCSU took the final set 30-22 on Snyder's fifth kill of the stretch. She finished with six in the set to lead Central, while junior Jamie Baumert added five kills on .308 hitting percentage. Sophomore Kaitlin Petrella had a set high of 10 digs to lead the Blue Devil defense.

Baumert finished the match with 11 kills on .333 hitting percentage and added three blocks for CCSU. Bayer, Petrella and Vaughan each recorded match bests, tallying 37 assists, 18 digs and 6 blocks, respectively. Bayer also added nine digs and three blocks to lead the Blue Devils. Snyder finished with nine kills and 10 digs.

Freshman Maria Scocca led Bryant with 10 kills in the match. Senior Maureen Atkins recorded a team high of 16 assists and added 11 digs. Freshman Jazmin Stoner tallied nine kills and 15 digs for the Bulldogs, while senior Delia Glover led the team on defense with 17 digs.

Central improves to 9-12 on the season and will next host St. Francis (NY) on Saturday November 8 at 1:00 p.m. That will be the last home contest for the Blue Devils and seniors Amanda Olmstead, Jenna Quadrozzi and Laura Baker will be honored before the match. Bryant falls to 16-16 on the year and will next host the Transitions Challenge Tournament on November 14-15.