Bulldogs secure three seed in NEC Tournament despite 3-0 loss in regular-season finale

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Despite a 3-0 road loss to Saint Francis U. in the regular-season finale, the Bryant University volleyball team secured the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Northeast Conference Tournament Sunday afternoon.

Freshmen Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and Sophie Hoekstra (Millersville, Md.) each posted 11 kills with eight and five digs, respectively, to pace the Bulldogs (19-13, 10-4 Northeast Conference), while sophomore setter Vika Nesterov (Kfar Saba, Israel) secured yet another double-double with 28 assists and 10 digs (4 kills). Senior libero Debora Magalhaes (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) added 29 digs to lead the match defensively.

Hannah Kutny registered a match-high 12 kills to guide the Red Flash (6-23, 3-10) attack, while Chelsea Easter added nine more and Emily Marcinowski and Sophie Murdock each finished the afternoon with eight kills. Lauren Williams dished out 33 assists for the hosts, while Jenna Veres grabbed 23 digs to pace the side on defense. Easter (5 blocks) and Maria Cup (4 blocks) led the way at the net.

The Red Flash left little room for doubt in the first two sets, taking 25-14 and 25-18 victories over the Black and Gold. Bryant battled back in the third, but still couldn't come out with the win in a 25-22 final that gave Saint Francis U. the three-set triumph.

The Red Flash hit well as a unit, finishing with a .276 attack percentage and 43 kills. Bryant ended the regular season with a .130 on the day (41 kills), while getting a quartet of service aces. Rookie Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) contributed three of them, also adding 11 digs and two kills.

The Bulldogs now move on to their first-ever Division I postseason appearance in the upcoming NEC Tournament Nov. 21-22. Bryant will face second-seeded Robert Morris (17-12, 11-3) Saturday afternoon for the right to play the winner of top-seeded host LIU Brooklyn (13-12, 12-2) and fourth-seeded Sacred Heart (15-13, 9-5) on Sunday. The Bulldogs and the Colonials split their season series, with Robert Morris taking the most recent victory in a five-set match Saturday in Moon Township, Pa.