Bulldogs visit former NEC foe Quinnipiac Wednesday night

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University volleyball hits the road for the first time this season when it visits former Northeast Conference rival Quinnipiac on Wednesday night. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. at the Burt Kahn Gymnasium.

The Bulldogs (2-2) are coming off a weekend split in the Hampton Inn-vitational, while the Bobcats (3-1) got off to their best start in Division I history at the La Salle Invitational. Wednesday's road game starts a stretch in which Bryant will play 15 of its next 16 matches away from Smithfield.

Bryant has dominated the all-time series between the two schools, posting a perfect 12-0 record since the 2008-09 season. The Bulldogs and Bobcats have gone to five sets just once in that stretch. Last season, Bryant opened the season with a 3-1 victory behind 18 kills from Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) and a near triple-double from Vika Katzen (Kfar Saba, Israel).

It was feast or famine for the Black and Gold last weekend, as all four matches were 3-0. Bryant picked up wins over Hartford and Rider and was defeated by Big East member St. John's and Big Ten member Rutgers. Bryant's offense was spread out during the first four games, with four players registered 20+ kills. Juniors and Ally Lunsford (Minneola, Fla.) and Kiley Robbins (Garland, Texas) each led the way with 29, while sophomore Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) chipped in 27 kills, 30 assists and 30 digs.

For Quinnipiac, it was a historic weekend in Philadelphia. The Bobcats posted wins over Saint Francis U., NJIT and Morgan State. Quinnipiac's 3-1 start is its best at the DI level and the three wins already match the Bobcats' win total from the 2015 season. Jen Coffey led the team with 51 kills and Natalie Alechko posted 41 kills and 40 digs. Maria Pansari collected 153 assists and also had nine service aces in 15 total sets.

Wednesday's match will be broadcast live on QuinnipiacBobcats.com.