Bulldogs open 2012 at Colgate Classic

BULLDOGS OPEN 2012 SLATE AT COLGATE CLASSIC FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University volleyball team will look to start the 2012 season with a bang, heading to Hamilton, N.Y., for the season-opening Colgate Classic Friday and Saturday.

The Bulldogs will face some of the toughest competition of the season to kick off their first campaign with Northeast Conference and NCAA postseason possibilities, and the team will get started Friday night (7 p.m.) against the host Raiders in a match that marks the 2012 debut for both sides.

Colgate returns two of its top three offensive threats from a season ago, including now-sophomore kill leader Lindsay Young. Young paced the side with 365 kills (3.32 kills per set) for a 2011 Raider squad that finished 12-18 overall with an 8-6 mark in Patriot League action. She also ranked in the top five in digs (209) and blocks (33) as a rookie, while leading the team with a 3.63 points per set average, nearly a point per set more than the now-graduated Kaylee Dougherty (254k, 24 aces, team-best 68 blocks in 2011).

Diane Seely (183), Kaylee Fifer (126) and Kenzie Hume (117) all surpassed the 100-kill threshold a season ago and return to the front line for the Raiders, with Fifer's .268 hitting percentage at the top of the class following the 2011 season. Fifer's main role comes at the setter position, though, where she dished out 9.32 assists per set as a sophomore, accounting for more than 82 percent (1,016) of the team's 1231 helpers. With 15 service aces, 35 block and an impressive 312 digs as well, Fifer is a force to contend with as one of the team's top all-around players. Hume represents the top returning blocker for Colgate with 53 last season (7 solo, 46 assists) while Seely's 38 stuffs were fourth-best on last year's squad.

The Raiders also return libero Caitlin Cremin, who was the only Colgate player to appear in every set of the 2011 season, pacing the team with 403 digs (3.63 per set) and a team-best 42 aces.

Following Friday's match against the tournament hosts, Bryant will pull double duty Saturday, taking on BIG EAST member Syracuse at 10 a.m. before closing out its weekend play against Illinois-Chicago at 4:30 p.m.

The Orange return seven players from a 2011 campaign that saw the team go 19-12 and 8-6 in conference play, and the septet of veterans return under a new head coach in Leonid Yelin.

First Team All-BIG EAST selection Samantha Hinz will lead the offense after topping the Syracuse stat sheet in 2011 with 169 blocks (26s, 143a) and 25 aces while still chipping 212 kills and a .262 attack percentage. She will be joined by the return of two of last year's three top kill producers in sophomore Andrea Fisher (270 kills) and junior Lindsay McCabe (265 kills, 132 blocks), who will help fill in for the loss of Noemie Lefebvre. Lefebvre paced the Orange with 308 kills in 2011, finishing second on the team in digs (380), first in points (353.5) and third in aces (17).

Senior Laura Homann returns to take on setter duties once again in 2012 after setting the program record for career assists as a junior (3,257), while the Orange will look to senior defensive specialist Zoe Guzman to replace 2011 starting libero Ashley Williams, who picked up 552 digs (4.93/set) as a senior last season.

Bryant will round out opening tournament action against the Flames in Saturday's afternoon session. UIC returns 11 after going 14-15 overall last season and will be led by Horizon League Preseason All-Conference selection Kelsey Safranek (466 kills in 2011).

Janise Dismuke and Nicole Allgood are the next highest kill getters, returning after 246- and 242-kill campaigns in 2011, while Sara Sternard and Aubrey Sniegowski also passed the 100-kill threshold. MaryKate Imrie is back to anchor the offense, dishing out 1,156 assists last season while serving up 20 aces and recording 310 digs.

The Bulldogs will counter their potent opponent offenses with veteran leadership of their own, returning five starters and nine letterwinners from a season ago while pumping up the depth charts with an impressive freshman class that looks to contribute right away.

Senior captain Jadith Lorenzo (Lawrence, Mass.) quarterbacks the Bryant offense once again after finishing 2011 with 842 assists and 41 aces, while fellow captains Emily Kaup (Chandler, Ariz.) and Macy Mitravich (Waimanalo, Hawaii) anchor the team's offense and defense, respectively.

Kaup (83 blocks, 162 kills) will get help at the net by the likes of juniors Alexandria Clyburn (Cartersville, Ga.) and Kendall Gaffney (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who both recorded 200+ kills in 2011. Clyburn's 71 blocks will look to play a large factor in Bryant's game plan, as the team looks to replace the now-graduated Maria Scocca, and all three will share duties of taking over the offensive potency of Jazmin Stoner, the team's only other loss from last year's roster.

For a full 2012 Bryant volleyball season preview and to access live stats for each match of the Colgate Classic, visit www.bryantbulldogs.com.