Bulldogs split Day 1 action in Denver
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Air Force (2-4) | 25 | 25 | 21 | 25 | 3 |
|
Bryant (1-3) | 21 | 21 | 25 | 22 | 1 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bryant (2-4) | 24 | 18 | 25 | 26 | 15 | 3 |
|
Denver (2-3) | 26 | 25 | 18 | 24 | 10 | 2 |
Bryant volleyball overcomes 0-2 hole to take tournament host Denver in five sets; falls to Air Force, 3-1
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University volleyball team went down two sets to none Friday night against tournament host Denver University, but the Bulldogs would pull off the biggest comeback of their young season, rattling off three-straight wins to take a 3-2 victory in the nightcap of Day 1 action at the 2011 Denver Invitational.
The Bulldogs (2-3) got 11 kills apiece from senior co-captains Maria Scocca (Melrose, Mass.) and Jazmin Stoner (Durango, Colo.) as well as sophomore Kendall Gaffney (Colorado Springs, Colo.) to get the win, and Stoner would total a team-best 23 kills on Bryant's 1-1 day to open tournament play. The Bulldogs fell in the opener, 3-1, to Air Force (2-4).
Against the Pioneers (2-3), the Bulldogs suffered 26-24 and 25-18 defeats to open the match in a 2-0 hole, but reversed the score exactly over the next two frames, 25-18 and 26-24, to force a deciding set, which Bryant took, 15-10. In the tournament opener against the Falcons, Bryant cut a 2-0 edge to just a one-game lead with a 25-21 win in set three, but couldn't complete the comeback, falling to Air Force in four sets.
Stoner recorded back-to-back double-doubles on the day, putting up 12 digs to match her 12 kills against Air Force in the early game and picking up another 12 digs in the second contest. Gaffney also recorded a double-double in the Bulldogs' nightcap to match Stoner, adding a team-high 14 digs to her 11-kill outing. The sophomore came away with 26 total digs on the day (14 vs. Air Force).
Scocca paced the Bulldogs' blocking game in both contests, putting up five stuffs against Air Force and four more against the Pioneers. Stoner added five total blocks to her stellar day at the net, while junior setter Jadith Lorenzo (Lawrence, Mass.) led the Black and Gold with 67 assists on the day. Sophomore Alexandria Clyburn (Cartersville, Ga.) served up a pair of aces in each contest and combined for 17 kills in the pair of outings with four blocks, including three against host Denver.
The Bulldogs wrap up Denver Invitational action Saturday at 3 p.m. EDT when they take on Purdue in Denver.