Bulldogs sweep opening day of Hampton Inn-vitational, top Quinnipiac and Holy Cross, 3-1

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University volleyball team kicked off 2015 with a strong performance on the first day of the Hampton Inn-vitational, taking 3-1 wins over Quinnipiac and Holy Cross Friday.

Redshirt-freshman Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) made an impression in her collegiate debut, leading the Bulldogs (2-0) with 32 kills in the pair of victories. Sophomore setter Vika Nesterov (Kfar Saba, Israel) finished right behind with 25 kills while posting an impressive triple-double (15k, 21a, 12d) in the nightcap against the Crusaders (0-2).

Rookie Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) totaled 15 kills, all coming against Holy Cross, while Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) dished out 40 assists in her debut Friday. Senior libero Debora Magalhaes (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) closed the day with 42 digs to lead the Black and Gold defense.

Flynn paced a potent Bulldog attack in the opening matchup against the Bobcats (0-1), recording a match-high 18 kills as the hosts took home a 3-1 win in the 2015 season opener.

Nesterov picked up the only double-double of the contest, totaling 10 kills to complement 28 assists and a trio of blocks, while Onoyan (7 kills) and Lunsford each added four stuffs apiece. Rookie Sophie Hoekstra (Millersville, Md.) was also strong in her debut, collecting seven kills with a pair of blocks. She would finish with 11 kills on the day.

Magalhaes led the defense with a match-best 20 digs, while frosh Margot Ruffieux (Cary, N.C.) added 12 more with two of the team's four aces.

The Bulldogs started out strong with a dominant 25-15 win in the opening set. Behind five kills from Flynn, Bryant held steady in the second, taking a 2-0 match lead with a 25-17 final in the frame.

The Bobcats hit .300 in the third stanza behind three kills and three blocks from Jen Coffey for a 25-16 victory to cut the hosts' match lead in half, but six more kills from Flynn would pace the Bulldogs as they finished off with season opener with a 25-22 win in the fourth.

Katie Urycki collected 14 kills to pace Quinnipiac despite the loss, while Sierra Dawson and Emma Ogden split setting duties with 16 assists apiece. Three Bobcats finished with double-digit digs, led by 12 from libero Cody Michaels.

In the nightcap, the Bulldogs made quick work of the first two sets, taking a 2-0 advantage over Holy Cross on 25-15 and 25-19 wins.

Nesterov opened the third set by serving six-straight points, but the Crusaders would come back to tie the game at 9-9. The teams would battle back and forth, with neither side taking more than a two-point edge through the remainder of the contest. But Natalie Welsch (10 kills) would register back-to-back kills to break a 24-24 tie and send the teams into the fourth frame.

In the final set, Bryant came from behind to take a 12-10 lead, and that lead would grow to 18-13 after a Magalhaes ace that forced Holy Cross into its first timeout. A kill from Flynn put the home side up, 21-15, and consecutive kills from Kingi solidified the 25-18 victory and 3-1 match win.

Lynsey Petersen and Mandy Sifferlen dominated for the Holy Cross offense, posting 16 and 14 kills, respectively, while Katie McKernan and Caroline Wells shared setting duties with 20 and 18 helpers apiece. Emily Popp collected 18 digs, while Mary Mullen paced the match with five blocks.

All three teams return to action Saturday for the final day of the 2015 Hampton Inn-vitational. The Bulldogs take on Iona (1-0) at 4:00 p.m.