Bulldogs suffer first loss in NEC with five-set defeat vs. Saint Francis U

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University volleyball team was outlasted by Saint Francis U in five sets Saturday night at the Chace Athletic Center, snapping the Bulldogs' six-match winning streak to open NEC play.

Game Information
Saint Francis U 3, Bryant 2 (25-21, 20-25, 25-17, 22-25, 12-15)
Records: Bryant (15-9, 6-1 NEC); Saint Francis U (10-10, 4-3 NEC)
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.) 

Coach Garlacy's Comments
"We lost a hard-fought battle today against a scrappy SFU team. Our offense was pretty effectivre but we didn't execute when we needed to. The conference matches are a battle night-in and night-out." 

How it Happened

• Set 1 – After the Red Flash tied the set at 18, the Bulldogs would respond with four points. After a pair of Saint Francis blocks, Bryant closed out the set, capping it off with a kill by junior Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.)
• Set 2 – The Bulldogs trailed 19-18 before a 5-1 run gave the Red Flash control of the set, as they would close it out with a 25-20 victory
• Set 3 – Bryant trailed 8-5 before a 7-0 run that included two kills and two blocks from sophomore Brianna Bruny (Biscayne Park, Fla.). Junior Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) tallied six kills in the set.
• Set 4 – The Bulldogs pulled even at 22 after trailing 21-18, but the Red Flash responded with the final three points of the set to force a fifth frame.
• Set 5 – Saint Francis jumped in front 7-2 before three straight Bryant points. The Bulldogs would tie it up at 12 on an ace by sophomore Nikki Kim (River Edge, N.J.) before the Red Flash scored the final three points of the match.

Stats/Notes                                                         

• Junior Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) led the Bulldogs with 19 kills – her 16^th double-digit kills performance of the season.
• Five Bulldogs were in double digits in digs, led by 19 each from junior Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) and freshman Erika Ward (Rochester, Mich.). Junior Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) added 17.
• Sperry recorded 33 assists, 19 digs, eight kills, four blocks and three aces.
• Junior Grace Richmeyer (DeSoto, Mo.) tallied nine kills and five blocks.
• The defeat snapped a 16-match home winning streak. Bryant is 34-4 at the Chace Athletic Center since the start of 2015.

Up Next
Bryant travels to Central Connecticut for a 7 p.m. match Friday in New Britain, Connecticut.