Erie, Pa. – The Mercyhurst Lakers Volleyball team put on a strong performance on Wednesday evening, defeating Central Connecticut State in four sets (25-22, 23-25, 25-12, 25-14) at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center. With this win, the Lakers improve to 3-14 overall and 2-5 in NEC play, while Central Connecticut State falls to 2-17 overall and 0-7 in conference action. 

How It Happened: 

The Lakers came out firing in the first set, hitting .290 as a team and edging Central Connecticut State 25-22, thanks to effective plays from Paige Miller and Andrea Zaric. The second set was a tight battle, but the Blue Devils managed to pull ahead late, taking the set 25-23 to even the match. 

Mercyhurst regrouped in the third set, dominating with a .265 hitting percentage and holding Central Connecticut State to a .000 clip, winning the set 25-12. The Lakers carried that momentum into the fourth set, with Esra Akcay and Trinity Tatupu leading the charge as they closed out the match with a convincing 25-14 win. 

Notable Performances: 

• Paige Miller led the Lakers with 8 kills, hitting .300 and adding 12 digs. 

• Andrea Zaric contributed 12 kills, hitting .194. 

• Kaitlin Murphy added 5 kills and 1 block. 

• Alia Mastromatteo dished out 19 assists. 

• Esra Akcay made an impact 7 aces and 3 blocks. 

Up Next: 

The Lakers and Blue Devils will return to action tomorrow afternoon for the second game of their weekend tilt.