BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The LIU Brooklyn volleyball team earned its' fifth straight win Saturday afternoon in the Steinberg Wellness Center, as the Blackbirds beat Central Connecticut State, 3-0 (25-20, 29-27, 27-25). With the win, LIU improves to 6-2 in Northeast Conference action, and 7-12 overall.

In the first set, LIU came out on fire, taking an early 7-0 lead and never relinquishing it. Three straight service aces from senior Tamara Ignjic helped propel the Blackbirds in the run. CCSU eventually got a kill to get on the board, but just two plays later, LIU went on a 5-0 run to widen the gap to 12-3. The Blue Devils were able to get in the game, and started to make headway, eventually closing the gap to 15-18. CCSU would also score three straight points facing match point, but in the end, a kill from Ignjic ended it for LIU, 25-20.

The second set was more evenly matched, and the two teams were locked in early on, 3-3. LIU would eventually take an 8-5 lead, and held on to it. The Blackbirds' widest lead of the game came on a block from freshman Dolores Kopren and junior Mengdi Zhao, that put LIU up, 20-14. But the Blue Devils started to make a comeback. A 5-1 run by the visiting team tied the set up, 22-22. A service error by CCSU, followed by a service ace from LIU senior Adriana Viñas Joy gave the Blackbirds set point, 24-22. But the Blue Devils would rally to tie it up four more times before LIU was able to take the set for good. In the end, a kill from Ignjic gave LIU set point, 28-27, and a kill from junior Alex Larsen earned the Blackbirds the second set win, 29-27.

Though the second set was close at the end, set three was close throughout, with 14 tie scores, and the lead changing hands six times. CCSU went up early, 3-1 on the Blackbirds, and widened that with back to back blocks, 6-2. The Blue Devils continued to lead, 9-5, before the Blackbirds started to make headway. After kills from Ignjic and freshman Viktoria Fink closed the gap, two straight CCSU errors would tie the set up, 10-10. The lead went back and forth from there, with both teams staying close. LIU would take a 19-16 lead on a service ace from senior Cydni Asuncion, but the visiting team rallied back to retake it, 20-19.Once again, late in the set, LIU would have match point, but a CCSU kill tied it up, 25-25. This time, the Blackbirds were able to score two straight points with ease, taking the third set win, 27-25, and the match, 3-0.

Senior Tamara Ignjic led LIU with 17 kills, 11 digs and three service aces, while senior Adriana Viñas Joy had a season-high 29 digs to lead the defense, along with three service aces. Freshman Viktoria Fink had nine kills and five blocks, while junior Nicole Hopton had 23 assists and eight digs. Senior Nicole Okeke and junior Mengdi Zhao each had five blocks in the win as well.

Up next, the Blackbirds host one of the top teams in the league, taking on Bryant at 3 p.m., Sunday, October 25.