Flynn, Katzen double-doubles pace Bryant to 3-0 win over Rider; Bulldogs take on Rutgers at 5p

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Sophomore Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) and senior captain Vika Katzen (Kfar Saba, Israel) each posted a double-double to help the Bryant University volleyball team to a 3-0 victory over Rider University Saturday afternoon in the Hampton Inn-vitational.

Flynn posted a match-best 10 kills with 11 digs while Katzen distributed a contest-leading 32 assists to complement 14 digs in the Bulldog (2-1) victory. Junior Kiley Robbins (Garland, Texas) matched Flynn's pace offensively, adding 10 kills of her own, while classmate Ally Lunsford (Minneola, Fla.) posted nine kills and three blocks with a .438 hitting percentage. Sophomore libero Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) paced the match with 16 digs.

The Bulldogs made up an early 5-1 deficit with four-straight points to tie the opening set at 5-5, and the score would remain tight until the Black and Gold scored seven of eight midway through the frame for a 15-10 lead capped off by a Katzen ace. The Broncs (1-2) would never recover from the run as the home side held on for a 25-17 victory on the back of six Robbins kills.

Rider would dominate the second set early on, opening up a 12-4 edge, but the Black and Gold would outscore the Broncs, 21-12, to finish the set on top, 25-23. Back-to-back Rider attack errors followed by a huge block from rookie Ava Patterson (Danville, Calif.) and sophomore Margot Ruffieux (Cary, N.C.) knotted the score for the first time at 21-21.

The visitors would reclaim the lead on the next point, and go up, 23-21, after a block by Savannah Logan and Kaitlyn Griffin. Ruffieux immediately pulled the hosts back within one with a key point – her only kill of the afternoon – and a mistake from setter Veronica Koval tied the frame once again, 23-23.

Patterson would come up big in a key moment on the next rally, giving the Black and Gold their first lead of the second set, and a beautiful service from Katzen would fall in for an ace to cap off the 25-23 comeback victory.

From there, the momentum was all on Bryant's side, as the Black and Gold started out the third stanza on an 11-3 run behind the serving of sophomore Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) (6 kills, 11 digs), eventually extending that advantage to 15-6 after a Robbins kill. The lead was more than the Broncs could rebound from, as Bryant held on for a 25-13 win and 3-0 match victory.

As a team, Bryant outblocked Rider, 6-3, on the contest and hit at a .262 clip to the Broncs' .155 mark. Rider was paced by seven kills from Hailey Riede and six more from Griffin. Koval dished out 13 assists with 11 more coming from Devyn Holland, while Emma Aldaya picked up 15 digs.

The Bulldogs return to action for a 5:00 p.m. nightcap, wrapping up Bryant Inn-vitational action against Rutgers. Fans can watch the match live and free-of-charge on NECFrontRow.com.