VB set to take on Kaiser Classic field

Bulldogs take on new opponents, familiar faces at weekend-long Kaiser Classic

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University volleyball team enters its final tournament weekend away from home and will face stiff competition as well as a few familiar foes at the Kaiser Classic, hosted by St. John's University at Carnesecca Arena in Queens Friday and Saturday.

The Red Storm (7-1) enter the annual tournament riding a six-game winning streak and will be the Bulldogs' (3-4) first opponent Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in the opening match of the Kaiser Classic.

St. John's is coming off a 3-0 performance at the CCSU Invitational, winning the tournament with victories over the host Blue Devils, Brown and Holy Cross. The Red Storm lost just a single set throughout the weekend, a 25-21 frame-three loss to Central Connecticut, and saw sophomore Aleksandra Wachowicz named tournament MVP after posting match-high kills in all three contests to total 52 on the CCSU Invitational.

Senior Sabina Piegza and rookie Karin Palgutova joined her on the all-tournament team, as the latter enters the Kaiser Classic second on the squad with 77 kills so far in 2012, adding on 43 digs, nine aces and 10 blocks. Piegza's 245 assists -- she averages 9.42 per set -- pace the Red Storm on the year, while Wachowicz posts 3.65 kills per set (95 total kills) to lead the St. John's offense.

Bryant will follow up the tough opening outing with a Saturday filled with familiar jerseys on the other side of the net. The Bulldogs will face off against a pair of conference opponents, starting the day with an 1 p.m. bout against St. Francis (NY) and closing out tournament action against Fairleigh Dickinson at 5 p.m.

The Terriers (1-9) picked up their first win of the season in their last outing, topping Saint Peter's College at home in straight sets. Senior Naomi Flinders paced both sides with nine kills in the match, also tying teammate Maggie Niu with four blocks for another match best.

On the year, Niu leads St. Francis with 75 kills, and her 1.97 kills per set and .335 hitting percentage also top out the Terriers' stat sheet. Kelly O'Halloran and Kamalei Clifton have split setting duties, picking up 186 and 114 assists, respectively, while Marina Georgieva is the team's top server with 20 aces entering weekend play.

A year ago, the Bulldogs swept the season series against the Terriers, 3-0 and 3-1, and Saturday's meeting is the first of three matchups between the conference foes in 2012-13 (Oct.14 in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y.; Nov. 3 in Smithfield, R.I.).

Fairleigh Dickinson (3-6) enters the Kaiser Classic looking to avoid its first losing streak of the season after falling to Fordham, 3-2, Tuesday and Lafayette by the same score in the closing match of the Lafayette College Tournament. The Knights went 2-1 on the weekend invitational overall, taking wins over Saint Peter's, 3-1, and Delaware State, 3-2, on neutral ground.

All-NEC First Teamer and now-senior Meaghan Wheeler leads the team in kills (177), kills per set (4.54), service aces (12), digs (150) and digs per set (3.85) so far in 2012, with Jordon Collis representing the next most potent offensive threat at 94 kills on the season. Allison Butler has 327 assists and 10 aces in nine starters, while Maddie Gibbons has run the blocking game with 44 total stuffs (13 solo) on the young 2012 campaign.

The Bulldogs and the Knights will also meet three times this season, as FDU visits the Chace Athletic Center Oct. 7 before Bryant makes the return trip to Teaneck, N.J., Nov. 11 to close out the regular season. The two teams split the 2011 season series, as each side won on the road in NEC play. The Knights topped the Black and Gold in Smithfield, 3-1, in October, while the Bulldogs took a 3-2 nail biter in the 2011 season finale in New Jersey.

The Bulldogs enter the Kaiser Classic looking to move above .500 on the season in the three-match set. Rookie Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) has been a standout for the Black and Gold on offense, pacing the team with 83 kills (3.07 per set) while proving to be one of the team's top servers with a team-leading 16 aces.

Junior Kaitlyn Klein (Modesto, Calif.) is right behind with 59 kills and six service aces, and is third on the team with 12 blocks in 2012. Senior captain Emily Kaup (Chandler, Ariz.) leads the team in that category with 22 stuffs on the year while also contributing 31 kills. Fellow captain Jadith Lorenzo (Lawrence, Mass.) averages 8.89 assists per set with 240 on the season, while the final senior captain in Macy Mitravich (Waimanalo, Hawaii) has done most the libero duties to total 98 digs (3.63 per set).

All three Bryant matchups at the Kaiser Classic will be streamed live online. Fans can also follow along on live stats or by following the St. John's volleyball twitter feed @STJ_volleyball or searching the #stjvball hashtag.