Career nights from Richmeyer and Flynn propel Bryant to win over Quinnipiac

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Career nights from juniors Grace Richmeyer (DeSoto, Mo.) and Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) led the charge for the Bryant volleyball team in a four-set victory over Quinnipiac Tuesday night in the Bulldogs' 2017 home opener.

GAME INFORMATION

Bryant 3, Quinnipiac 1 (25-20, 15-25, 25-23, 26-24)

Records: Bryant (2-2), Quinnipiac (0-4)

Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)

COACH GARLACY'S COMMENTS

"Our middles totally dominated the match, especially Grace Richmeyer. Julia Flynn led the team in digs and was explosive out of the back row!"

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Set 1 – Flynn tallied 10 of her career-high 20 digs in the set while junior Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) added seven and freshman Erika Ward (Rochester, Mich.) chipped in six. Richmeyer posted seven kills with no errors in eight attempts.  
• Set 2 – Quinnipiac bounced back for the 25-15 second-set victory, leading the whole way on the back of a .407 (12k-1e-27ta) hitting percentage. Richmeyer added four kills in the set.   
• Set 3 – Bryant trailed 22-21 before rattling off four of the final five points in the frame. A kill by junior Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) closed out the set as the Bulldogs built a 2-1 lead. Bryant limited Quinnipiac to a .118 (12k-8e-34ta) hitting percentage in the third.
• Set 4 – A kill by sophomore Brianna Bruny (Biscayne Park, Fla.) tied the fourth set at 14-14, as Bryant went on a 6-1 run to pull ahead 20-15. After a Richmeyer kill made it 23-18, the Bobcats answered with five straight points to tie the set before two kills from Flynn and a match-clinching kill from Kingi closed out the victory at 26-24.

STATS

• Richmeyer tallied a career-best 18 kills on a .607 hitting percentage (18k-1e-28ta). The total surpasses her previous career-high of 10 Nov. 19, 2016 against LIU Brooklyn.
• Flynn's 20 digs were a career-high, besting a 17-dig effort at Robert Morris Sept. 25, 2016.
• The 10 kills and 20 digs from Flynn were the fourth-straight double-double from the junior to open the season. Flynn has tallied 10 or more kills in seven straight matches dating back to last year.
• The Bulldogs recorded five blocks in the match, with Bruny factoring into four of them.
• Bryant notched six aces in the match with Sperry providing a season-high three.

MATCH NOTES

• Bryant improves to 20-6 all-time against Quinnipiac and is 12-1 against its former NEC foe in the Division I era.
• The Bulldogs improve to 25-3 at the Chace Athletic Center since the start of 2015.
• Senior Kiley Robbins (Garland, Texas) made her season debut Tuesday.
• Bryant is 2-0 after a loss this season.

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs hit the road this weekend for three matches at the BC Invitational. The weekend begins Friday with matches against North Texas and host Boston College at 1 and 7:30 p.m.