Bryant falls to New Hampshire comeback Tuesday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University volleyball team was one point away from a three-set win, but fell to a furious New Hampshire comeback in a five-set defeat Tuesday night at the Chace Athletic Center.

Match Information
New Hampshire 3, Bryant 2 (25-19, 25-20, 25-27, 15-25, 11-15)
Records: Bryant (4-4); New Hampshire (2-5)
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.) 

Coach Garlacy's Comments
"We got a great outing from Kristin Kingi tonight with an outstanding offensive effort and super consistent receive. Erika Ward led the defense and had a very aggressive serve. We needed to finish it out in the third set but didn't. We'll learn from it and come back tomorrow to work harder."

How it Happened

• Set 1 – Bryant cruised to a 21-11 lead in the opening set, and after a 6-1 New Hampshire run brought the Wildcats within five, the Bulldogs closed out a 25-19 set in which they hit .348 (12-4-23). Senior Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) tallied four kills in the opening set.
• Set 2 – New Hampshire led 4-1 before a 9-2 Bryant run put the Bulldogs ahead 10-6. The Wildcats would pull back within one at 13-12, but three straight Bryant points with two kills from Kingi kept the lead at least three the rest of the way.
• Set 3 – A 6-0 Bryant run gave the Bulldogs a 17-15 lead on a block from senior Grace Richmeyer (DeSoto, Mo.) and freshman Caroline Kennedy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.). The teams would be separated by no more than two the rest of the way. Bryant went up 25-24 on a New Hampshire attack error, but the Wildcats responded with the next three points to push the match to a fourth set.
• Set 4 – Bryant led 8-7 before a 6-0 New Hampshire run flipped momentum in the Wildcats' favor. New Hampshire hit .500 in the set to win it 25-15.
• Set 5 – Tied 5-5, New Hampshire scored three straight points out of a timeout and led by at least two the rest of the way for a 15-11 set victory to complete the comeback.

Stats/Notes                                                         

• Kingi recorded 16 kills and 12 digs.
• Kennedy collected 15 kills, seven digs and three blocks.
• Senior Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) recorded 44 assists for her third-straight match of 40 or more.
• Sophomore Mackenzie Wild (Rochester, Mich.) tallied nine kills and three blocks.
• Sophomore Erika Ward (Rochester, Mich.) totaled 19 digs.
• Bryant drops to 3-9 all-time against New Hampshire and 3-7 in the Division I era.
• Head coach Theresa Garlacy will enter the weekend with 498 career victories.

Up Next
The Bulldogs are home for three matches this weekend as part of the Hampton Inn-vitatonal. Bryant will open the tournament Friday at 4 p.m. against Middle Tennessee.

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