Bryant downed by SHU in 2019 season finale

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Bryant University volleyball team fell in four sets to Sacred Heart Saturday night to conclude its 2019 season.

Freshman Emma McGovern (Long Beach, N.Y.) contributed a double-double of 12 kills and 10 digs in the match, while sophomore Caroline Kennedy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) notched 13 kills to eclipse 700 at the conclusion of her second year in Black & Gold. 

Match Information
Sacred Heart 3, Bryant 1 (26-24, 15-25, 13-25, 18-25)
Records: Bryant (15-17, 10-6), Sacred Heart (18-13, 13-3)
Location: Pitt Center (Fairfield, Conn.)

Coach Garlacy's Comments
"It's hard to believe our season has come to a close. We played incredibly well late in the season and yet came up shorthanded. I am so thankful for our two seniors, Nikki and Bri. They were two of the best leaders we have had.

How it Happened

• Set 1 – Sacred Heart led 11-7 before a 10-3 Bryant run put the Bulldogs in front. The Pioneers would battle to get back within one multiple times before the Bulldogs took the set at 26-24.
• Set 2 – Five straight SHU points put the Pioneers in front by seven at 16-9 and they would lead by at least four the rest of the way to even the match.
• Set 3 – The Bulldogs were within 18-11 before the Pioneers scored the next six and took a 2-1 advantage with a 25-13 win in the set.
• Set 4 – A 10-2 Sacred Heart run turned a 7-7 tie into a 17-9 Pioneer advantage. Three kills from redshirt-junior Sydney Gorski (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) helped the Bulldogs continue to challenge the Pioneers in the set before SHU closed out the set and match with a 25-18 fourth-set victory.

Stats/Notes

• McGovern collected 12 kills, 10 digs and two blocks.
• Kennedy recorded 13 kills on a .333 hitting percentage and moved to 705 career kills through the end of her sophomore season.
• Sophomore Haley O'Brien (Milton, Mass.) tallied six blocks, matching her season-high, and finishes her sophomore season with 159 career blocks.
• Junior Erika Ward (Rochester, Mich.) recorded 12 digs to increase her Division I program career record to 1,412 entering her senior season.
• Freshman Maggie Ryan (Bethesda, Md.) added four blocks.
• The Pioneers recorded 18 blocks in the match to the Bulldogs' eight.
• Bryant drops to 26-19 all-time against Sacred Heart and 8-17 in the Bulldogs' D1 era.
• Saturday marked the final match in Black & Gold for seniors Brianna Bruny (Biscayne Park, Fla.) and Nicole Kim (River Edge, N.J.). The Bulldogs went 77-57 (.583) in the duo's four years in Smithfield.
• Bryant misses the NEC tournament for the first time since 2014. The Bulldogs tied for fourth in NEC play at 10-6 and lost out on a tiebreaker with Central Connecticut for the final spot in the conference tournament.

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