Bryant falls to Iona, 3-1, in tournament opener

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Senior captain Elena Lohr (Loveland, Ohio) and redshirt-freshman setter Vika Nesterov (Kfar Saba, Israel) each turned in a double-double in the opening match of the Iona Tournament, but the host Gaels would get standout performances of their own to earn a 3-1 victory Friday night.

Lohr paced the Bulldogs (3-8) with 11 kills, adding 12 digs for her fourth double-double of the season while Nesterov posted 34 assists with 19 digs (7 kills) for the Black and Gold. Both sophomore Sara DePouw (Oconto, Wis.) and freshman Kiley Robbins (Garland, Texas) added 10 kills and three blocks apiece, while rookie Alexandra Lunsford (Minneola, Fla.) tied the match best with four blocks. Defensively, junior libero Debora Magalhaes (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) led Bryant with 21 digs.

The Gaels (2-6) took a 1-0 lead in the contest with a 25-16 first-set win, and while the Bulldogs answered with a 25-18 margin in the second, Iona took the final two frames, 25-19 and 25-16, for the 3-1 match victory.

Catrina Warren led the hosts and the match with 13 kills and four blocks (2 solo), adding 12 digs and two aces for the team's only double-double. Karly White was the match's most accurate hitter at .421, contributing 10 kills and three stuffs. Katie Marabella paced the contest on defense with 27 digs, while Taylor Cembalisty added 16 more with two blocks, three aces and nine kills.

The Bulldogs continue tournament action on Saturday, facing off against La Salle at 10:00 a.m. before wrapping up action in New Rochelle, N.Y., with a tilt against Hartford at 4:00 p.m.