HACKENSACK, N.J. – Despite three, double-digit kill performances in the match, the Fairleigh Dickinson volleyball team dropped a four-set battle to Central Connecticut State (25-22, 20-25, 23-25, 21-25) at the Rothman Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
Sophomore Erika Sullivan paced the Knights' (3-16, 0-5 NEC) attack in the loss by hammering a career-high 13 kills, while senior Taylor Wyckoff and freshman Nataliya Rybakova finished with 10 kills apiece.
 
Freshman setter McKenna Setterlund played an excellent two-way match for the Knights by leading the defense with 20 digs to go along with her 31 assists and five kills.
 
The Blue Devils (10-6, 3-2 NEC) featured four players in double figure kills with Madleyn Kaprelyan's 14 leading the way, 13 apiece from Morgan Woycik and Emma Henderson and 10 from Samantha McCreath.
 
Led by four kills from Sullivan, the Knights captured the first set. They led by as many as six points in the frame, 15-9, before the Blue Devils rallied to pull within one, 22-21. With freshman libero Jamie Rogers serving, the Knights closed out the win by netting the final three tallies. Rogers totaled 13 digs and three assists on the day.
 
Kaprelyan and Henderson set the tone offensively for the Blue Devils in the second set by totaling six and five kills, respectively as they evened the match at 1-1.
 
In the third set, the Knights built an 18-12 lead and appeared destined to move in front in the match, however, the Blue Devils stormed back with six unanswered points to even things. After a kill by Sullivan briefly stopped the surge, the Blue Devils went back to work with three consecutive tallies and nabbed a 21-19 edge.
 
A pair of CCSU attack errors followed by a kill from FDU senior Carly O'Sullivan put the Knights back in front 22-21. Next, O'Sullivan answered a CCSU point with another kill to give the Knights a 23-22 lead.
 
CCSU's Morgan Woycik ended a long rally with a kill before her team scored the final two points, the decisive blow coming via a service ace by Ashlyn Eisenga, which put CCSU on top 2-1.
 
The fourth and final frame was tightly contested throughout and the Knights trailed by one, 21-20, after Sullivan's second kill of the set. Kaprelyan delivered a kill for CCSU and then Kaitlyn Kushman followed with a service ace to put CCSU back in command as they scored two of the final three points to seal the victory.
 
For the Knights, Sullivan added 16 digs to her ledger in the loss, while O'Sullivan had 11 and Wyckoff finished with 10. Sullivan's 13 kills came on 30 attacks and just four errors resulting in a .300 attack percentage, tops on the team.
 
In total, the Blue Devils registered a .202 attack percentage and 12 total blocks, while the Knights finished with a .190 attack percentage and 14 total blocks. Service aces weighed heavily in the Blue Devils' favor as they blanked the Knights 7-0.
 
The Knights continue their home stretch with a pair of matches next weekend against St. Francis Brooklyn at on Friday, October 13 and LIU Brooklyn on Saturday, October 14.