Bryant drops pair at C of C Invitational Saturday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Despite being paced by strong freshman play once again, the Bryant University volleyball team dropped a pair at the College of Charleston Invitational Saturday afternoon.

Bryant (7-8) opened Saturday action with a 3-0 loss to the host Cougars (7-5) before falling to Sam Houston State (6-6), 3-1, in the nightcap.

Against the College of Charleston, the Bulldogs were paced by rookies Sophie Hoekstra (Millersville, Md.) and Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), who recorded 10 and nine kills, respectively despite the 3-0 loss (25-19, 25-17, 25-19). Classmate Margot Ruffieux (Cary, N.C.) added six more kills as the trio combined for 25 of the team's 35 kills.

Sophomore setter Vika Nesterov (Kfar Saba, Israel) dished out 26 assists with two of the team's three service aces, while senior captain Debora Magalhaes (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) led the match defensively with 15 digs.

The Cougars received 13 kills from Kennedy Madison and 10 more from Melissa Morello. Mackenzie Cooler paced the contest and recorded the only double-double of the outing with 41 assists and 11 digs.

The College of Charleston outhit the Bulldogs, .362 to .193, and won the margin in kills, 50-35, and digs, 49-36.

In Bryant's final tournament match of the 2015 season, Ruffieux and Hoekstra led the way once more with 12 kills apiece. Kingi added six kills of her own, while sophomore Ally Lunsford (Minneola, Fla.) chipped in five.

Nesterov added to her assist total with 32 more helpers, notching her eighth double-double of the season by adding 13 digs despite the 3-1 loss (25-23, 21-25, 20-25, 20-25). Magalhaes once again led the match on defense with 20 digs. Senior Taylor Onoyan (Crystal Lake, Ill.) led the contest on the block with six, while Hoekstra added four more to round out her impressive day.

The Bearkats saw Brooke White register 19 kills with 16 digs, while Shelby Genung added 10 more kills. Michelle Griffith recorded a double-double of her own with 43 assists and 10 digs while four different players recorded double-figure digs.

Sam Houston State edged the Bulldogs in hitting percentage, .182 to .092, and also won out in kills, 56-43, and digs, 76-72.

Bryant returns home for its next three contests, next hosting Dartmouth College at the Chace Athletic Center on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7:00 p.m.