Bryant downs Quinnipiac to win Hampton Inn-vitational

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University volleyball team won the Hampton Inn-vitational crown for the second-straight year with a four-set win over Quinnipiac Saturday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

Freshman Caroline Kennedy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) was named Hampton Inn-vitational MVP, while redshirt-senior Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) and sophomore Erika Ward (Rochester, Mich.) were named to the all-tournament team.

Match Information
Bryant 3, Quinnipiac 1 (25-12, 25-17, 24-26, 25-14)
Records: Bryant (7-4); Quinnipiac (1-9)
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.) 

Coach Garlacy's Comments
"It was an incredible weekend. We hit over .360 in two of three matches and got contributions from so many different players on the weekend. It's a great weekend to build on going into our final five non-conference matches before NEC matches begin. We have amazing young women who want to leave a legacy behind for our program, and I'm really happy with the effort they put forth this weekend to keep improving as we approach conference play."

How it Happened

• Set 1 – The Bulldogs hit .438 in the opening set to cruise to a 25-12 win. Flynn tallied seven kills in the set.
• Set 2 – Quinnipiac led 8-7 before a 7-1 run gave Bryant control of the set. The Bobcats cut it to 15-13 before another 7-1 Bulldog spurt pushed the lead to eight. Kennedy racked up six kills in the set.
• Set 3 – Bryant led 17-16 in the third before Quinnipiac turned the table with a 7-2 run to lead 23-19. The Bobcats held a 24-20 advantage before the Bulldogs rattled off four straight points to tie the set, but Quinnipiac held on for a 26-24 win to force a four set.
• Set 4 – Five straight Bryant points put the Bulldogs ahead 11-6 and Bryant would lead by four the rest of the set en route to a 25-14 victory to win the match in four.

Stats/Notes                                                         

• Flynn collected 17 kills, five digs and two blocks.
• Kennedy recorded 16 kills for her 10^th double-digit kill output in 11 collegiate matches.
• Senior Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) collected 35 assists, while senior Julia Malet (San Rafael, Calif.) added 20.
• Ward notched 19 digs, while senior Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) added 13.
• Freshman Jenna Knight (Scottsdale, Ariz.) recorded a career-high four kills.
• Bryant hit .362 in the match – the Bulldogs' second match of .350 or better this weekend.
• Bryant improves to 28-6 all-time against Quinnipiac and 13-1 in the Division I era.
• The Bulldogs improve to 40-5 (.889) at the Chace Athletic Center since the start of the 2015 season.

Up Next
Bryant takes the short trip down Douglas Pike Tuesday to face Providence. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.

Follow Bryant University volleyball on Twitter and Instagram to get an inside look at the program.