BRISTOL – The Bristol Eastern and Bristol Central volleyball teams are, once again, two of the best programs in the Central Connecticut Conference.

The proof is in the 15-1 combined record with the Lancers a perfect 8-0 and the Rams just one game behind at 7-1.

No other town or city in Connecticut has that kind of scholastic dominance on the court.

Eastern was looking for some big things on the state level this season but due to the pandemic, the outstanding squad has only been able to compete against local competition.

That means no trip to RHAM or a showdown against Maloney.

The Lancers, however, have knocked down each and every team put in their path – entering the week of Monday, October 26 with their perfect ledger, including six sweeps this season.

Eastern head coach Stefanie Reay has kept this group motivated, working hard and the program looks to remain undefeated the rest of the campaign.

This squad has a strong senior cast with plenty of experience to boot.

Five players have seen action over all 26 sets including setter Leah Chipman, middle hitter Ryley Plourde, right side hitter Sage Scarritt, middle hitter Hannah Webber and outstanding outside hitter Zoe Lowe.

Add in the likes of outside hitter Emma Rodjenski and libero Lucy Winiarski and the Lancers have a stacked unit.

In fact, Webber is the only non-senior out of the group.

Eastern was 23-2 for a reason last year and Lowe was a huge part of that success – bringing together a tremendous front and back-line game.

Over the first eight matches this year, Lowe has team leading totals of 84 kills, 60 digs, and 42 aces while adding a few blocks to an impressive ledger.

MaxPreps ranks Lowe’s 84 kills as the fifth highest total in the state while her 42 aces is good for second place.

Lowe dropped Bristol Central for 20 kills back on October 3 while tallying 12-plus kills in three matches this season.

She had a 15 ace game at Plainville while compiling 17 digs against Southington and the Rams.

In terms of Eastern’s passing game, no one in the state has more assists than Chipman.

And when she’s not chasing down the ball and in her optimum position on the floor, those sweet feeds lead to several loud kills by Lowe, Plourde, Scarritt, and the rest of the front line.

Chipman’s 228 assists put her in first place in the state – dishing up at least 10 assists over the squad’s eight matches.

She averages 8.8 assists-per-set and tallied a team-high 45 against the Rams.

She also zipped over a dozen aces, collected 29 total digs – including an 11 dig gem at Avon – and killed three balls against Farmington, displaying an overall strong floor game.

The duo of Lowe and Chipman were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association Under Armor All-American Watch List before the season commenced and are the heart of the team.

Plourde has been a force in the middle for Eastern, posting 55 kills, eight aces and five blocked shots.

She scooped up at least 10 kills in three matches this season including a season high 11 against New Britain on October 15.

Plourde nabbed three aces in the win over Farmington and blocked two shots in the sweep against Southington on October 15.

Scarritt, another slick senior, has been extremely productive on the front line – smashing down 45 kills and carries one of the state’s best hit percentages.

In terms of hit percentage, MaxPreps ranked Scarritt fifth in the state with a clip of .359.

Scarritt has scooped up seven or more kills in four matches with a season-high 10 coming against Avon.

Her serving is also on-point, dropping in 21 aces, and Scarritt has been one of the squad’s most improved players this fall.

Webber is another talented big in the middle, adding 34 kills, a team-high 11 blocks and eight aces.

She punished Central for eight kills while also tallying five aces over Eastern’s winning effort.

Webber rejected three shots against Avon and tallied at least two blocks in four matches.

Rodjenski, another senior leader on the squad, is a formidable outside hitter with 36 kills to date.

She nabbed nine kills against Lewis Mills on October 13 while unleashing five aces versus Farmington.

Rodjenski also compiled 21 digs, including eight over the Southington triumph.

Winiarski adds plenty of defense from the back row – snaring 71 serve receptions and 26 digs.

Adding to Eastern’s depth are juniors Alex Shorette, Hannah Podolak and Abby Jones, sophomore Alyssa Adorno and seniors Amber and Brianna Champagne.

Only Central and Avon have pushed Eastern to a fourth frame this season as the rest of the matches have been 3-0 triumphs.

Over the top programs in Region B, the division might have the strongest grouping of teams in all the CCC.

After Eastern and Central, Avon is a tough third place squad – hanging in at 6-2 – while Farmington, a top local program over the years, is 5-3 but has lost matches to all three of the division favorites.

But let’s take a closer look at the CCC conference overall.

What towns come even close to Bristol’s dominance in scholastic volleyball this year?

The usual suspects in all the regions are doing quite well.

Long time rival RHAM ended this past week at 8-0 in Region C with South Windsor (7-1) just a game behind in the standings.

Speaking of rivals, Maloney (8-0) is undefeated in Region D action and combined with Platt, the Meriden programs are a slick 13-1 overall.

And in Region A, surging Conard – a bit of a surprise – is 7-0 while Simsbury is a game behind at 7-1.

And frankly, the Bristol programs would love a shot at any of those teams but due to COVID-19, crossover showdowns aren’t permitted in the fall campaign.

In terms of state rankings, Max Preps has Eastern ranked 10th overall while three other CCC squads also populate spots in the top-10.

To end the regular season, Eastern travels to Southington this Monday and then is off to Central on Thursday for a huge city series showdown that will determine the winner of Region B.

And then on November 2, Lewis Mills invades the Lancerdome while the following Thursday, New Britain comes to town.