Bulldogs spend weekend in Brooklyn, taking on LIU Saturday and St. Francis Sunday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Following a 2-1 split in its return to Smithfield for the first time since early September, the Bryant University volleyball team is back on the road for its only weekend set away from home this month, taking on LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis Brooklyn Saturday and Sunday.

The Bulldogs (12-11, 3-2 Northeast Conference) will visit the Blackbirds (6-12, 3-2) Saturday at 1 p.m. before heading just down the road Sunday for a 1 p.m. clash against the Terriers (7-14, 2-3).

Senior Sara DePouw (Oconto, Wis.) and sophomore Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) lead the Black and Gold offense entering the weekend, both averaging better than 2.5 kills per set. The pair total 152 (2.53/set) and 149 (2.66) kills, respectively. The Bulldogs' setting duo of senior Vika Katzen (Kfar Saba, Israel) and sophomore Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) have seen huge success driving that offense, with the former averaging 7.14 assists per frame (557 total) with 105 kills and 204 digs and the latter leading the conference in aces (27, 48th nationally) while posting 141 kills, 345 assists and 184 digs.

Junior Ally Lunsford (Minneola, Fla.) sits fourth on the Bulldogs' list of threats with 136 kills, but she has proven herself as the deadliest hitter in the conference, leading the league with a .361 attack percentage that ranks 63rd in the nation. She is also the team's top blocker with 55 stuffs, five of those coming in solo fashion.

The Bulldogs will be looking for just their third win over the Blackbirds when they face LIU Brooklyn on Saturday. They claimed a four-set victory over LIU at home last year, but lost 10-consecutive matches prior. Conversely, Bryant holds a commanding 11-3 edge against the Terriers, having lost just 14 sets.

Scouting the Blackbirds

LIU Brooklyn has relied on several underclassmen and is led by a trio that have over 100 kills, as senior Alex Larsen paces the squad with 185. Junior Alex Lilliquist follows with 158 and 6-foot-6 sophomore Jiayi Zhang has 115. Freshman Filippa Hansson has 76 kills, classmate Katharina Krepper has 56 and sophomore Viktoria Fink has added 52. True freshman setter Amanda Hubbard has dominated the passing responsibilities with 480 assists, 383 more than the second most.

Hanson has been a force at the net with 53 total blocks, 12 being solo, followed by Larsen with 37 total blocks and Krepper's 30. Freshman libero Natalia Rivera sits third in the conference with 5.03 digs per set and fourth with 322 total. But the Blackbirds have been balanced on the defensive side, as freshman Emily Magee, Larsen, Hubbard and Lilliquist all have over 100 digs.

Scouting the Terriers

St. Francis Brooklyn is steered by its do-it-all senior outside hitter Domenique Gerard, who has 206 kills and 26 service aces. As a team, the Terriers have relied heavily on the ace with a league-best 121 this season, the 18th most in the country. Junior Aleksandra Gligoric and senior Niehely Sosa have tallied 164 and 138 kills, respectively. Sophomore and freshman setters Angela Hudelson and Macy Kurtz charge the Terriers with 342 and 309 assists, respectively.

Defensively, senior Alexa Caporuscio has 217 digs, followed by Gerard's 202. Sophomore Mireya Ramirez has tallied 168 digs and Kurtz has 116. Sosa has wreaked havoc this season with 71 total blocks, as the Terriers sit third in the league with 1.99 blocks per set thanks to three others have at least 42 blocks.

Saturday's match can be followed along via livestats on LIUAthletics.com and Sunday's can be seen live on NECFrontRow.com.