Hawks topple Bulldogs in three Tuesday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Sophomore middle blocker Sara DePouw (Oconto, Wis.) posted 10 kills with six blocks and redshirt-freshman Vika Nesterov (Kfar Saba, Israel) recorded her fifth-straight double-double but the Bryant University volleyball team would fall to the University of Hartford, 3-0, on the road Tuesday night.

The match marked the second-consecutive meeting between the Bulldogs (3-11) and the Hawks (7-5) after the sides matched up at the Iona Tournament Saturday afternoon. Sareeta Nethersole once again paced the outing for Hartford, this time with 11 kills and 12 digs, as she and DePouw were the only players to register double-digit kills on either side.

Nesterov earned her double-double with 29 assists and 15 digs, with Bulldog junior libero Debora Magalhaes (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) pacing the tilt defensively with 20 digs. DePouw's six blocks included Bryant's only solo stuff of the night and marked a match best, while she and senior Elena Lohr (Loveland, Ohio) each served up an ace for the Black and Gold. Rookie Natascha Scarff (Geneva, Switzerland) added six kills and 10 digs.

Jackie Tamburri's 33 assists led the match, while Hartford got aces from Nethersole and Alicia Tripoli. Paola Llerandi posted 16 digs to pace the Hawks, who got four blocks from Katy Henchy (6 kills). As a team, Hartford outkilled the Bulldogs, 44-33, and outhit its visitors, .282 to .123. Bryant won the edge on the block, 7-6, and picked up one more dig than its host, 56-55.

The Bulldogs are back into tournament play Friday and Saturday at the UConn Tournament in Storrs, Conn. Bryant will play a neutral match against Hofstra Friday at 5:00 p.m. before facing off against the host Huskies Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and wrapping up the weekend against Columbia at 5 p.m.