Bryant continues best-ever NEC start with sweep of Robert Morris

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Junior Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) hit .355 with 16 kills as the Bryant University volleyball team continued its best start to Northeast Conference play with a sweep of Robert Morris Friday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

Game Information
Bryant 3, Robert Morris 0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-23)
Records: Bryant (15-8, 6-0 NEC); Robert Morris (9-12, 3-3 NEC)
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.) 

Coach Garlacy's Comments
"Our hitters were extremely efficient tonight with three attackers hitting .300 or better. Our setting from pin to pin was tough to defend and Kirstyn Sperry dug the right back position very well. Grace Richmeyer was on fire, hitting .615. It was another well-balanced team effort. 

How it Happened

• Set 1 – Junior Grace Richmeyer (DeSoto, Mo.) tallied five kills, while junior Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) and sophomore Sydney Gorski (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) teamed up for three blocks. Bryant led 24-17 before quelling a late Colonial run on the fourth kill of the set by junior Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.).
• Set 2 – Flynn had seven kills in the set, including three during a 7-0 run that turned a 14-13 advantage into a 21-13 cushion. Junior Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) added a pair of kills during the run. Sperry and freshman Erika Ward (Rochester, Mich.) each had seven digs in the set.
• Set 3 – Bryant led 19-14 before four straight RMU points led to a timeout. Flynn responded with a pair of kills and the Bulldogs pushed the lead back to four on a Colonial attack error. The Colonials would cut it to one again before a pair of Flynn kills brought it to match point. After two Colonial points, senior Kiley Robbins (Garland, Texas) closed out the victory with a kill.

Stats/Notes                                                         

• Junior Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) led the Bulldogs with 16 kills – her 15^th double-digit kills performance of the season.
• Senior Kiley Robbins (Garland, Texas) and junior Grace Richmeyer (DeSoto, Mo.) each had nine kills, with four of Robbins' nine coming in the third set. Richmeyer hit .615 in the match.
• Junior Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) recorded 25 assists, 12 digs and three blocks.
• Freshman Erika Ward (Rochester, Mich.) was tied for the team lead with 12 digs.
• Bryant is 6-0 in the Northeast Conference for the first time. The Bulldogs began playing an NEC schedule in 2009. The Bulldogs' previous best was a 3-0 start in 2015.
• The Bulldogs have won 16 straight home matches and are 34-3 at the Chace Athletic Center since the start of 2015. The home winning streak is tied with Western Kentucky for the fifth-longest in the nation at the conclusion of play Friday.
• Bryant hit .291 as a team, as opposed to a .144 mark for Robert Morris.

Up Next
Bryant hosts Saint Francis U Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Chace Athletic Center.