Bulldogs topple Sacred Heart, 3-1, at home

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Reigning NEC Rookie of the Week Natascha Scarff (Geneva, Switzerland) posted her seventh double-double of the season while redshirt-freshman Vika Nesterov (Kfar Saba, Israel) chipped in her 12th as the Bryant University volleyball team topped Sacred Heart, 3-1, at home Saturday afternoon.

Scarff's 13 kills paced the match while her 13 digs were good for second in a defensive charge led by Bryant (7-18, 3-3 NEC) junior libero Debora Magalhaes (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) (match-high 28 digs). Nesterov's match-best 29 assists came along with 12 digs, eight kills and two aces of her own while counterpart Jana Kmec (Stratford, Conn.) added 16 assists in the Bulldog victory.

Sophomore middle blocker Sara DePouw (Oconto, Wis.) chipped in 10 kills and two blocks with a .600 attack percentage as the Black and Gold outhit the Pioneers (7-12, 2-4), .232 to .122. Junior Taylor Onoyan (Crystal Lake, Ill.) (6 kills) led the team on the block with three stuffs. Scarff and Magalhaes each added an ace to their outings, while Scarff and classmate Alexandra Lunsford (Minneola, Fla.) (6 kills) also added a pair of blocks in the win.

Sacred Heart saw Tori Kemper score 13 kills with 16 digs while Lila Palmer also recorded a double-double performance with 10 kills and 12 digs. Kemper's 16 digs were matched by libero Ana Gonzalez, who served up a match-high four aces despite the four-set loss. Alisa Mesa led the visitors with 22 assists while Marie Zimmerman added 14 more.

The Bulldogs opened the match with a 25-16 win and went up 2-0 in the tilt with a 25-23 set-two victory. The Pioneers would half Bryant's lead with a 25-19 win in the third before the Black and Gold wrapped up the league victory with a 25-18 margin in the fourth.

Bryant returns to action Sunday afternoon, hosting Fairleigh Dickinson at the Chace Athletic Center at 1:00 p.m.