Posted: Nov 01, 2009

BULLDOGS UPSET ROBERT MORRIS, 3-1, IN CONFERENCE ACTION SUNDAY

November 01, 2009

BULLDOGS UPSET ROBERT MORRIS, 3-1, IN CONFERENCE ACTION SUNDAY

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - A trio of double-doubles and a 19-kill performance from sophomore Jazmin Stoner (Durango, Colo.) were just what the Bryant University volleyball team needed to upend one of the Northeast Conference's toughest opponents in Robert Morris, as the Bulldogs evened the score against the Colonials with a 3-1 win Sunday afternoon in one of the biggest upsets of the season.

The Bulldogs (10-19, 5-6 NEC), who entered the contest looking to avenge a 3-0 loss to Robert Morris (10-18, 7-4) in early October, came on strong and hard Sunday at the Chace Athletic Center, getting double-doubles from Stoner (19 kills, 10 digs), Macy Mitravich (Waimanalo, Hawaii) (12 kills, 10 digs) and Jadith Lorenzo (Lawrence, Mass.) in the four-set victory. Lorenzo, who posted match-bests in assists and digs, also set a trio of career marks in the contest with her 31 helpers, 17 digs and six kills.

Neither side led by more than six points at any point in the match, but the Colonials would take advantage of six Bulldog attack errors to win the first set, 25-19.

Maria Scocca (Melrose, Mass.) turned a 5-4 deficit into an 8-5 advantage with a series of strong serves to open the second set, and the Bulldogs continued to build on that lead, never trailing again in a 25-23 set win that evened the match a 1-1.

An early Bryant lead in the third turned sour at 7-6 as the Colonials worked up to a three-point, 14-11 edge before the Bulldogs were able to bounce back, knotting the score three times on their way to taking a 19-16 advantage.

Bryant would allow just three more points to their visitors from there, outscoring the Colonials by a 2-to-1 margin to take a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-19 set-three win, led by Stoner's seven kills.

The fourth would prove to be the last on the afternoon as the Bulldogs led nearly the whole way through the closely-contested set that featured six tie scores, eventually taking a 25-20 win, capped off by a powerful kill from Stoner. Lorenzo recorded 10 digs in the fourth set alone while Robert Morris was stymied by seven errors on 38 swings with just seven kills.

The Bulldogs collected more kills than the Colonials in each of the four sets and led on the day by a 52-38 total. Bryant hit at a .146 clip as a team, led by .371 hitting from Stoner, who recorded her second-highest career kill total. Meanwhile, it was freshman Emily Kaup (Chandler, Ariz.) who led the Black and Gold at the net defensively, collecting three blocks. Scocca, who leads the team in kills and blocks on the year, also chipped in double-digit scoring with 10 kills, adding three assists and a block.

Robert Morris was led by Amanda Craig's double-double (11 kills, 12 digs). Craig also chipped in a game-high four blocks (1 solo, 3 blocks) while Corinne Moser collected 17 digs to pace the Colonials defensively.

With the win, the Bulldogs keep their fifth-place slot in Northeast Conference standings, while Robert Morris moves to 7-4 in league play, having fallen only to league-leading Long Island, Sacred Heart and Central Connecticut entering Sunday's action.

The Bulldogs remain at home for one more weekend, hosting Sacred Heart on Saturday, Nov. 7 (1 p.m.) before welcoming Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday, Nov. 8 for a 1 p.m. Senior Day matchup.