Bulldogs return home for the first time in a month, host River Hawks Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Following 11-straight matches away from home, the Bryant University volleyball team returns to the Chace Athletic Center for the final non-conference home match when it battles UMass Lowell on Wednesday night.

The Bulldogs (10-10) went an impressive 7-4 on their month-long road stint and opened up Northeast Conference play with a Pennsylvania sweep, defeating Saint Francis U. (3-1) on September 24 and Robert Morris (3-1) on September 25. But they suffered a 3-0 setback at Central Connecticut on September 30. The River Hawks (5-12) began the season 5-3, but have dropped nine-consecutive matches and have only won eight sets over the span.

With the exception of a straight-sets loss to the River Hawks last season, Bryant has dominated the all-time series, holding a 14-3 overall edge since 2000 and a 3-1 mark at the Division I level. The Bulldogs took the first three matchups as DI foes and lost only two sets.

The Bulldogs enter the contest led by their five 115+ kill performers. Senior outside hitter Sara DePouw (Oconto, Wisc.) leads the way with 142 kills, junior Kiley Robbins (Garland, Texas) is second with 130, sophomore Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) follows with 128 and posted a career high 19 against the Colonials, Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) has 121 and junior Ally Lunsford (Minneola, Fla.) rounds it out with 119, as she leads the league with a 0.363 hitting percentage and paces Bryant with 45 blocks. The team currently ranks 12th nationally with 931 kills, as two other have added 90+ kills.

The Bulldogs continue to pass exceptionally, as they lead the NEC and sit 15th in the country with 872 assists. Senior Vika Katzen (Kfar Saba, Israel) paces the bunch with 486 helpers and has chipped in 93 kills as well. Sperry follows with 312 assists to form the most-dynamic one-two punch from the setter position in the league.

The offense against the River Hawks has been charged by DePouw with 29 kills in three matchups and Lunsford with 22 in the last two meetings to go along with 13 blocks in three tries. Katzen has been dominant with 103 assists in three outings against UMass Lowell.

Wednesday's visitors will look to end the nine-match skid and follow their three triple-digit kill getters. Freshman Madi Bell leads the team with 153 kills, sophomore Haley Simon is right behind with 150 and freshman Katherine Claybaugh has 126. One of just four seniors on the team, 6-foot-6 middle blocker Lauren Bennet has added 75 kills and has used her length to block 48 attacks. Junior Masha Yelsukova and sophomore Lade Adeniyi have connected on 81 and 63 kills, respectively.

Sophomore Delaney Mendez has been the primary facilitator for the River Hawks with 383 assists, while senior Alexa Toth has 150 helpers. Sophomore libero Lindsey Visvardis has been active with 261 digs, as she averages 4.08 per set.

Wednesday's match is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. You can follow along on Twitter @BryantGameday, via livestats on BryantBulldogs.com and catch first serve online at NECFrontRow.com.