Bulldogs earn 18 Division I wins in 2010

Volleyball finishes third Division I season with winning record, most victories in Rhode Island

by Sean Donahue
Staff Writer

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant University volleyball team finished its 2010 season with a winning record for the first time in the school's short Division I history, earning the most victories of any DI program in Rhode Island.

The Bulldogs (18-17, 5-11 Northeast Conference) got off to a fantastic start this year, going 12-5 in their first 17 games before entering conference play. The 18 victories mark the highest win total for the program since entering the DI ranks in 2008.

The team went on several impressive runs throughout the season, including a five-game winning streak that saw the program earn its first win over a BCS opponent with a 3-2 topping of Boston College on Sept. 11. The Black and Gold would win four more in consecutive order late in the same month (Sept. 17-22). Bryant also finished 3-1 or better in three early season tournaments, emerging as champions at the Bryant Invitational and sharing the title with host Army at the West Point Challenge.

Conference play was not as kind to the Bulldogs, as key injuries took their toll on the team. But Bryant rebounded as its NEC slate continued, showing its capabilities late in the season with a win on the road against preseason favorite Long Island. It was the program's first-ever victory over the Blackbirds, who had won six-straight NEC championships entering the 2010 season. The team played 11 of its matches to the fifth set, including a 3-2 Halloween loss to second-seeded Robert Morris, and won five such matchups. And though the Bulldogs' conference record landed them in eighth place, they finished with the second-best overall record in the NEC.

Maria Scocca led the Bulldogs with 308 kills in 2010.

Bryant got big performances out of several players this season. Despite missing five matches due to injury, junior middle hitter Maria Scocca (Melrose, Mass.) led the team with 308 kills on the year. Scocca, who already ranks 10th in school history with 1025 career kills and ninth with 1386.5 career points, was again strong on the block in 2010, leading the Bryant ranks with 120 (30 solo). Among her top performances were the 10 block assists and 12 total blocks – the second- and third-best single-game totals in school history, respectively – she posted against Buffalo on Sept. 19. (Scocca set the school records in both those categories last season.) The junior earned NEC Player of the Week honors once this season and was named MVP of the Bryant Invitational.

Another junior who missed significant time due to injury, outside hitter Jazmin Stoner (Durango, Colo.) finished second on the team with 285 kills despite missing eight matches, bringing her career total to 934, currently 14th in Bulldog history. Stoner also finished the season with eight double-doubles, 207 digs, 24 aces and a team-leading 2.71 kills per set.

The only Bulldog to best Stoner's double-double total on the season was sophomore setter Jadith Lorenzo (Lawrence, Mass.), who finished the year with an impressive 21 double-doubles. Lorenzo even went one better, putting up a triple-double (career-high 11 kills, career-high 53 assists, 16 digs) against Quinnipiac on Sept. 26, just the program's second triple-double since 1997. Lorenzo finished the campaign with 1166 assists, good for 13th-most in single-season program history. The total also placed her seventh in the conference. She also led the team with 35 service aces.

Robyn Gardner paced Bryant with 535 digs in 2010.

The lone senior on the team, libero Robyn Gardner (Longwood, Fla.) led the team with 535 digs, ranking her 14th in the single-season record books. The team captain also finished the season with the 11th-best serve percentage in school history at .952 (23 aces). Her 36 digs in a win over Quinnipiac on Sept. 26 rank ninth in the single-match history books while Gardner finished her career sixth in serve percentage (.913) and ninth in digs (1452).

A strong freshman class played a major role this season as well. Kendall Gaffney (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Kaitlyn Klein (Modesto, Calif.), Nicole Percz (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.) and Mariah Burgess (Urbana, Ill.) all proved to be key contributors from the start, while Alexandria Clyburn (Cartersville, Ga.) came on strong in the second half to finish the year second in blocks per set (36 on the year). Gaffney, Percz, and Burgess all earned NEC Rookie of the Week honors this season, with Gaffney taking the accolade twice. The Colorado native recorded a trio of double-doubles as one of the conference's top rookies, while Klein recorded a pair. Klein (216), Gaffney (206), Perez (174) and Burgess (135) finished third through sixth, respectively, on the team in kills. Gaffney also chipped in defensively, collecting 208 digs (fourth), while Percz finished the year second in blocks with 69 (7 solo).

Fellow rookies Leigh Fishback (Edmonds, Wash.) and Mikayla LaRosa (Marysville, Wash.) filled holes off the bench in key moments throughout the season, joining other key contributors, including sophomore defensive specialist Macy Mitravich (Waimanalo, Hawaii) and sophomore rightside Emily Kaup (Chandler, Ariz.). Mitravich played 129 sets, the second most on the team, while contributing 286 digs and 17 aces. Kaup started 22-of-30 contests, stepping up in a big way when the Bulldogs were struggling with injuries to contribute 115 kills and 62 total blocks on the year.

The young Bulldogs lose just a single player from the 2010 roster and look to be in good shape to continue their steady improvement heading into the 2011 campaign, the program's final season before becoming eligible for conference and NCAA postseason play. And with a bevy of both firepower and defense returning to the lineup ready to build on their 2010 successes, the future looks as bright as ever for the storied Bulldog volleyball program and its journey to Division I prominence.