Robbins, Patterson headline 3-0 Bulldog victory over UNH Tuesday night

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Junior Kiley Robbins (Garland, Texas) and rookie Ava Patterson (Danville, Calif.) paced a total all-around effort from the Bryant University volleyball team, who snapped a five-match losing streak with a decisive 3-0 home win over the University of New Hampshire Tuesday evening.

Robbins paced the match with 15 kills while Patterson posted 11 to go along with a .500 attack percentage to lead the Bulldog (3-6) attack. Setters Vika Katzen (Kfar Saba, Israel) and Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) contributed double-doubles of their own to the effort, each dishing out 23 assists while adding 10 and 14 digs, respectively. Sperry was also a key part of the Bryant offense, registering eight kills without an error for a match-best .615 hitting clip.

UNH (3-4) saw Demi Muses (11) and Kennedi Smith (10) finish with double-digit kills, while setter Keelin Severtson handed out 24 helpers and Muses and Emily Tanski posted 11 digs apiece.

The straight-set victory started out slow in the opening frame, but a 6-0 Bryant run midway through the set turned a three-point disadvantage into a 13-10 lead. The momentum swing was all the Bulldogs needed, as the hosts would not relinquish the lead despite a 5-1 run by the Wildcats in the closing points, riding seven Robbins kills to a 25-20 victory.

The home side opened up an 8-2 lead to start the second, and while UNH would draw the score to two, 16-14, and three, 22-19, late in the frame, Bryant would never trail in the stanza. After hitting .425 as a team in the set, Patterson and Sperry would team up for the winning block to give the Bulldogs the 25-19 margin and a 2-0 match lead.

The third saw a close battle between the sides, as the teams would tie the set seven times before the Bulldogs took over the lead for good at 12-11, building to a 22-17 advantage following three-straight Wildcat attack errors. Katzen would get the final two kills of the night for the 25-21 final and the third 3-0 Bryant win of the 2016 season.

The Bulldogs hit .331 as a team on the evening, totaling 51 kills with six service aces, all coming from Sperry (3) and Katzen (3). Five different players got in on Bryant's 4.5 team blocks, while the Black and Gold defense allowed just a single ace to UNH.

The Wildcats finished the day with a .225 attack percentage, totaling five team blocks, of which Muses was a part of four. Tanski chipped in nine kills and two stuffs, while Severtson added eight digs.

The Bulldogs now hit the road for the rest of September, next taking the court in a neutral matchup against SIUE Friday afternoon (4:30 p.m.) at the Columbia Invitational.