Bulldogs fall to Norse, Zips in Friday action

BULLDOGS FALL TO NORSE, ZIPS; HOST HOLY CROSS SATURDAY AT 7 P.M.

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University volleyball team met a pair of tough foes to open the 2012 Hampton Inn Invitational Friday night, falling to Northern Kentucky and Akron in straight sets despite strong efforts in both contests.

Rookie Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) led the Bulldogs (4-9) in both matches, posting a combined 18 kills on the night with a team-leading five aces. Senior Emily Kaup (Chandler, Ariz.) was right behind with 13 kills, three aces and four blocks, including the team's only two solo stuffs of the night. Junior Alexandria Clyburn (Cartersville, Ga.) was the side's top blocker with eight on the day, including a match-best six in the opener against Northern Kentucky (10-1).

In the first matchup, Van Dyk paced the Bulldogs with 10 kills on 19 attempts while adding a trio of aces, including back-to-back such serves in the second set. Clyburn and Kendall Gaffney (Colorado Springs, Colo.) each chipped in five kills of their own while Lorenzo led the team with 12 assists, despite spending the first two sets as the libero. She would finish the day with 36 helpers, playing all three sets at setter against Akron (7-4).

Northern Kentucky's Shelby Buschur and Jayden Julian topped the stat sheet with 11 kills apiece while Jenna Schreiver picked up 36 of the team's 41 assists and added three aces. In total, the Norse served up nine aces to Bryant's four and hit at a .314 clip.

Clyburn posted six blocks in a match-high effort as the Black and Gold outblocked their opponents, 18-12. Kaup recorded seven kills, adding three blocks of her own.

In the nightcap against the Zips, the Bulldogs got eight kills from Van Dyk but saw a pair of Akron hitters record double figures, with Tina Dimitrijevs putting up a match-high 15 with a .650 attack percentage. Alex Cocklin chipped in 11 more while the pair each served up two aces. Akron would end the game hitting .348 as a team.

The Bulldogs resume play the Hampton Inn Invitational Saturday at 7 p.m., closing out the tournament with a faceoff against regional rival Holy Cross.