Second NEC weekend sends Bryant to Brooklyn for two

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Bryant University volleyball team travels to Brooklyn for the second weekend of NEC play, facing LIU Brooklyn Friday and St. Francis Brooklyn Saturday.

The Particulars
Opponents: LIU Brooklyn (Friday), St. Francis Brooklyn (Saturday)
Match Times: Friday – 6 p.m.; Saturday – 4 p.m.
Links (Friday): NEC Front Row | Live Stats
Links (Saturday): NEC Front Row | Live Stats 

Series History vs. LIU Brooklyn
The Blackbirds hold a 16-4 advantage in the all-time series after the teams split a pair of matchups a year ago. Julia Flynn collected 18 kills and 13 digs in a five-set win over the Blackbirds last September at the Chace Athletic Center, while Grace Richmeyer tallied five blocks. 

Series History vs. St. Francis Brooklyn
The Bulldogs are 19-3 all-time against the Terriers and have won the last eight meetings with seven victories being completed in three sets. Julia Flynn had five of Bryant's seven aces in the sweep on Remsen Street last season. 

Bulldog Notes and Notables

• Bryant is 12-7 on the year after a four-set win at Hartford Tuesday. Freshman Caroline Kennedy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) matched her career-high with 20 kills, while freshman Maya Popernik (Chicago, Ill.) posted a career night with 10 kills and seven digs.
• Redshirt-senior Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) enters the weekend 45 kills shy of 1,000 for her Bulldog career.
• Kennedy has tallied double-digit kills in 15 of 19 matches to begin her collegiate career.
• Senior Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) has recorded 20 or more digs three times in the month of September, including a career-best 24-dig performance in the Sept. 22 win over Robert Morris. Kingi is 214 digs back of the program's Division I career record held by Debora Magalhaes.
• Bryant's win over Hartford Tuesday lifted the Bulldogs to 3-1 against the America East this year and 6-4 over the last three seasons.
• Head coach Theresa Garlacy won her 500^th career match in the Sept. 8 sweep of Coppin State. Garlacy is now at 506 career wins.

A Bit About LIU Brooklyn
LIU is 5-6 on the year with a non-conference schedule shortened by Hurricane Florence, canceling a pair of matches at Miami. The Blackbirds traveled to UNLV and Portland the first two weekends of the season before its home tournament. LIU swept Fairleigh Dickinson and Sacred Heart on the road in the opening weekend of NEC play. 

Viktoria Fink leads LIU with 2.95 kills per set, while Filippa Hansson has added 2.10 on a .333 hitting percentage. Hanssson was named Molten/NEC Defensive Player of the Week Monday for her blocking performance in the first conference weekend.

A Bit About St. Francis Brooklyn
St. Francis is 5-10 on the year after splitting the opening weekend of the NEC slate with a loss at Sacred Heart and win at Fairleigh Dickinson. The Terriers and Bulldogs have played one mutual opponent, as St. Francis fell in three sets at Maryland Eastern Shore. 

Sidney Colvey (2.63 kills/set) and Ally Speweik (2.51) lead the Terrier attack, while Kizzy Rodriguez has tallied a team-high 4.25 digs per set. Nina Tiedt (6.51 assists/set) and Gabriella Nobrega (6.06) have split setting duties.

Up Next: Sacred Heart, Fairleigh Dickinson
Bryant returns home for the third weekend of the NEC schedule, hosting Sacred Heart (Oct. 5) and Fairleigh Dickinson (Oct. 6) at the Chace Athletic Center. 

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