Bulldogs host Hampton Inn Invitational

VOLLEYBALL GEARS UP TO HOST 2012 HAMPTON INN INVITATIONAL

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University volleyball team is gearing up to host the 2012 Hampton Inn Invitational Friday and Saturday at the Chace Athletic Center.

The tournament will feature four teams including Northern Kentucky, Akron, Holy Cross and Bryant. Six games will be held over the course of two days with each school having the opportunity to play each other one time. The complete schedule of the tournament can be found here:

http://bryantbulldogs.com/sports/wvball/2012-13/Hampton_Inn_Invitational

The Bulldogs open the tournament Friday afternoon in a 4 p.m. showdown with Northern Kentucky. Last time out, Bryant fell to New Hampshire, 3-1, in their home opener Tuesday night. Bryant (4-7) started out strong, taking a 1-0 lead on the visiting Wildcats (5-6) with a 25-23 victory in the opening set. UNH would tie the game at 1-1 after a 25-20 win in the next frame and continued on for 25-18 and 25-13 victories to take the match by the 3-1 final. Junior middle blocker Alexandria Clyburn (Cartersville, Ga.) led the Bulldogs, posting seven kills and a match-high .316 attack percentage, also registering the team's top blocking mark at four stuffs.

Northern Kentucky enters weekend play posting an impressive 9-1 record. The Norse began 2012 with eight straight wins before experiencing their only loss of the season to Manhattan College at the Harvard Invitational. The Norse are led by a trio of seniors, Shelby Buschur, Haley Lippert and Kelly Morrissey, who have each registered at least 100 kills so far. Through their first ten matches, they have only dropped a total of seven sets.

The Bulldogs will close Friday's action against Akron at 8 p.m. The Zips (5-4) come to Smithfield riding a three-game winning streak after they won the final games of the Akron Invitational. Leading the charge are seniors Tina Dimitrijevs and Chelsea Harvey who have tallied 99 and 81 kills, respectively, through their first nine games.

The final game of the tournament will pit Bryant against familiar-foe Holy Cross on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Crusaders enter the weekend in search of their first win of the season after a close match with Hartford on Tuesday. Reigning tournament MVP Megan Lynch leads her team with 93 kills through ten games.

In the 2011 Bryant Invitational, the Bulldogs finished 1-2 on the weekend, defeating Holy Cross, 3-0, for their lone victory.

For links to live stats for all the games and streaming video to Bryant's matches, and all the latest news on Bryant University volleyball, visit BryantBulldogs.com