Looking Back: Bryant volleyball posts best season yet at Division I level
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University volleyball team enjoyed its best year yet at the Division I level in 2015, as a stellar class of rookies drove the Bulldogs to their first-ever Northeast Conference Tournament berth.
After challenging for hosting rights until the final weekend of the regular season, the Bulldogs (19-14) entered their first league tournament as the No. 3 seed following a 10-4 performance in NEC play. But even more impressive was the team's efforts on its home court, as the Black and Gold went a perfect 14-0 inside the friendly confines of the Chace Athletic Center. The 2015 campaign marked the first undefeated home slate in Bryant volleyball history, as the Bulldogs were taken to a fifth set only once in Smithfield.
Providing the push for that stellar play was an impressive class of rookies who drove the Bulldog offense, none more so than NEC Rookie of the Year Sophie Hoekstra (Millersville, Md.). The two-time NEC Rookie of the Week and All-NEC First Team selection ranked inside the NEC top-10 in kills (342), kills per set (2.92), points (379), points per set (3.24) and hitting percentage (.248), and topped the team charts in kills, points and points per set. Hoekstra also added 74 blocks and 102 digs to a strong rookie campaign.
Classmate Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) put together a strong season of her own, finishing just one kill shy of Hoekstra while ranking fourth in the league and tops among rookies with a 2.99 kills per set average. She also finished in the conference's top-10 in points (364.5) and points per set (3.22) while recording an impressive 10 double-doubles. One of the few to play all the way around, Kingi also racked up nine aces, 292 digs (2.56/set) and 28 blocks in 114 sets.
Despite missing more than half the season with injury, another high-flying rookie in outside hitter Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) pushed the freshman class to the top of the stat sheet, as Flynn registered 127 kills and a 2.19 kills per set average in just 58 sets, also picking up 107 digs and 12 blocks while being named to the NEC All-Tournament Team. Frosh setter Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) was also key to Bryant's success, particularly on the serve, where she led the side with 41 aces, good for third in the league and 51st in the nation. Head coach Theresa Garlacy also saw solid contributions from rookie Margot Ruffieux (108 kills, 161 digs, 23 aces). The trio combined for eight more double-doubles on the year.
But behind a flashy freshman class, two upperclassmen anchored the team on the court in NEC Setter of the Year Vika Nesterov (Kfar Saba, Israel) and All-NEC Second Team libero Debora Magalhaes (Belo Horizonte, Brazil).
Voted the league's top setter by NEC head coaches, Nesterov topped the 1,000-assist mark for the second-straight season (1,034), averaging 8.34 helpers per set. But the sophomore's impact came in more than just dimes. Nesterov finished the season ranked in the team's top five in kills (163), aces (33), digs (339), blocks (56) and points (224.5) as she rarely left the court, playing in all 124 sets in 2015. She posted an impressive 20 double-doubles on the year, including a pair of elusive triple-doubles, and was rewarded for her efforts with her first all-conference selection, tabbed to the league's top team.
Magalhaes re-wrote the program's Division I record books despite playing just two seasons in Smithfield, leaving the school as the team's DI leader in digs (1359) and digs per set (5.41). This past fall alone, the senior ranked fifth in the nation in total digs (699) and eighth in digs per set (5.64), leading the NEC in both categories.
Another floor general for the Black and Gold was senior Taylor Onoyan (Crystal Lake, Ill.). The senior middle came out strong from the start of her final collegiate campaign, eventually playing in all 124 sets while ranking third on the team in kills (181) and posting the unit's top hitting percentage (.265). Onoyan also set the bar at the net, posting a team-high 115 blocks (13 solo). The Bulldogs also saw strong showings from sophomores Ally Lunsford (Minneola, Fla.) (155 kills, 108 blocks) and Kiley Robbins (Garland, Texas) (127k, 33b).
But the 2015 edition of the Bulldog volleyball team was more than just a sum of its parts. Bryant's roster came together to post new Division I program marks in kills per set (12.92), attack percentage (.192), assists per set (11.98), digs per set (16.66), reception percentage (.936) and points per set (16.17) under Garlacy, who posted the 450th win of her career Oct. 18 and was tabbed as the NEC Coach of the Year. The Bulldogs also posted the third-highest RPI in the league, finishing at 221.
And while the Black and Gold will lose four strong seniors from their roster, the quartet has left behind a foundation for success unprecedented for the program in the Division I era – a foundation that already has the Bulldogs hungry for more.