Bryant hosts Hampton Inn-vitational this weekend
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University volleyball team hosts Middle Tennessee, Coppin State and Quinnipiac this weekend for the 2018 Hampton Inn-vitational at the Chace Athletic Center.
The weekend will feature six matches on the Chace Athletic Center court with two contests Friday and four Saturday. The full tournament schedule is available here.
The Hampton Inn-vitational will wrap up a four-match homestand for the Bulldogs, who will play their next five away from Smithfield.
The Particulars
Opponents: Middle Tennessee, Coppin State, Quinnipiac
Match Time (Friday): Middle Tennessee – 4 p.m.
Match Times (Saturday): Coppin State – 12 p.m.; Quinnipiac – 5 p.m.
Watch Live (Bryant Matches): NEC Front Row
Live Stats: Middle Tennessee | Coppin State | Quinnipiac
Series History vs. Middle Tennessee
The Bulldogs and Blue Raiders are meeting for the first time Friday. Middle Tennessee, making the 900-mile trip from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, has seven NCAA tournament appearances to its name, including a Sweet 16 season in 2007. Bryant is 0-2 all-time against Conference USA after last Friday's five-set loss to Charlotte.
Series History vs. Coppin State
The Eagles are making their second appearance in the Hampton Inn-vitational after previously appearing in the 2009 event. Bryant won the previous meeting in three sets. The Bulldogs are 1-0 against the MEAC this year after an Aug. 25 sweep of Maryland Eastern Shore in Chicago.
Series History vs. Quinnipiac
Saturday marks the 34th meeting between Bryant and Quinnipiac, a pair of former NE-10 and NEC foes. Bryant is 12-1 against Quinnipiac in the Division I era and 27-6 overall. The Bulldogs downed the Bobcats in four sets in last year's home opener behind a career-high 18 kills from Grace Richmeyer (DeSoto, Mo.).
Bulldog Notes and Notables
- Bryant fell to 4-4 on the year after a five-set battle against New Hampshire Tuesday. Senior Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) posted a double-double for the third time in her last four matches, leading Bryant with 16 kills against the Wildcats.
- Freshman Caroline Kennedy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) collected 15 kills against New Hampshire, good for her fourth-straight match of 15 or more. Kennedy was named NEC Rookie of the Week Tuesday.
- Sophomore Mackenzie Wild (Rochester, Mich.) was named to the all-tournament team at last weekend's Rose Hill Classic.
- Senior Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) had a streak of nine straight matches with a double-double snapped Wednesday. Sperry has recorded 30 in a span of 41 matches since the start of 2017.
- The Bulldogs are 37-5 (.881) at the Chace Athletic Center since the start of the 2015 season.
- Bryant was picked second in the NEC preseason poll, receiving one first-place vote.
- The Bulldogs went 21-12 last year and 11-3 in the NEC. Bryant returns 11 players and all but one starter.
- Bryant returns a pair of NEC first-team all-conference selections in redshirt-senior Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) and Sperry, who was named NEC Setter of the Year in 2017.
- Sperry is one of three seniors in Division I to record 40 or more aces in each of her first three collegiate seasons and has collected 15 in 33 sets to begin 2018 (0.45 per set).
- Head Coach Theresa Garlacy enters Friday's three-match tournament two wins shy of 500 for her collegiate head coaching career. Garlacy is in her 23rd year at the helm in Smithfield.
A Bit About Middle Tennessee
The Blue Raiders are 1-5 on the year after an 0-3 weekend at their home tournament. Middle Tennessee's lone victory early in the season was a four-set win over Robert Morris Aug. 25.
Bailey Mason leads Middle Tennessee with 2.86 kills per set on the year. Brienna Tankesley has recorded a team-leading 4.32 digs per set. The Blue Raiders have collected just 20 blocks in 22 sets of play.
A Bit About Coppin State
The Eagles dropped to 2-7 with a midweek sweep at the hands of Loyola Maryland Wednesday. Coppin State's two victories on the year came in neutral-site matches against Saint Peter's and Manhattan.
Asia Stennis leads Coppin State with 2.50 kills per set. The Eagles have been held to a .122 hitting percentage on the year, while opponents have hit .312.
A Bit About Quinnipiac
The Bobcats are looking for their first win of 2018 after an 0-3 weekend in a round-robin event of Connecticut schools. The Hampton Inn-vitational will be the final three non-conference matches for Quinnipiac, which begins its 18-match MAAC slate next weekend.
Morgan Sherwin leads Quinnipiac with 2.61 kills per set, while Kat Miller has added 2.52. Miller has 11 aces in 23 sets. Gabby Horman leads the Bobcats with 1.10 blocks per set.
Up Next: Providence
Bryant takes the short trip down Douglas Pike for a Tuesday night clash with Providence at Alumni Hall at 7 p.m.
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