Bulldogs take on Coppin State Tournament

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University volleyball team continues 2012 tournament play Friday and Saturday, as the team heads to Baltimore, Md., to compete in a quartet of matches at the Coppin State Tournament.

The Bulldogs (1-2) start the weekend with a pair of games Friday, taking on Youngstown St. at 3 p.m. before an evening match against Chicago State (7 p.m.). The Black and Gold play two more Saturday, facing North Carolina A&T at 2 p.m. before wrapping up tournament play against host Coppin State (6 p.m.).

Bryant began its first season with full Division I eligibility at the Colgate Classic a week ago, defeating tournament host Colgate, 3-2, in the 2012 season opener. After dropping the first two sets, the Black and Gold went on to win the next three, stunning the Raiders en route to a 3-2 victory. The Bulldogs fell in each of the next two matches, losing to Syracuse, 3-1, and to the University of Illinois-Chicago, 3-0, but saw strong weekend performances from veterans and newcomers alike, highlighted by the efforts of freshman Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) (team-high 34 kills) and junior all-tournament team selection Kaitlyn Klein (Modesto, Calif.) (30 kills; 8 blocks).

The Bulldogs open the Coppin State Tournament against a Youngstown St. side that went 1-2 in its own season-opening tournament, the Spartan Showcase, last weekend at Michigan State. The Penguins held on for a 3-2 victory over McNeese State in their final game after dropping the first two outings. Junior Missy Hundelt was named to the all-tournament team, finishing with a squad-best 41 kills to go along with 32 digs in the weekend. Hundelt has let the Penguins in kills in each of her first two seasons with the team.

The Friday nightcap will pit the Bulldogs against a Chicago State team searching for its first win of 2012. The Cougars (0-5) dropped four matches at the Hawkeye Challenge last weekend in Iowa City and most recently fell to Judson, 3-1, in their home opener Monday night. Senior Sydney Van Munster led the team with a career-high 13 kills and added four blocks in the contest.

On Saturday, Bryant will open action against North Carolina A&T. The Aggies (0-4) dropped all three matches at the Western Carolina Catamount Classic and fell to Elon, 3-0, on Wednesday. Freshman Brooke Stamnes led the team with eight kills, while Junior Jeana Daniels was perfect in the outing, collecting four kills in four attempts.

Bryant will close out weekend play in a showdown with tournament host Coppin St. The Eagles (0-3) dropped all three of their opening-weekend matches at the Battle of the Bay a week ago. Freshman Cindy Okpegbu and sophomore Ariel Richard lead the team with 22 and 20 kills, respectively, through the season's first three contests.