Bryant falls to LIU Brooklyn in four-set battle

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Redshirt-senior Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) posted a double-double of 16 kills and 15 digs and senior Grace Richmeyer (DeSoto, Mo.) collected a season-high eight blocks, but the Bryant University volleyball team fell in four sets to LIU Brooklyn Friday night in a battle of teams atop the NEC standings.

Match Information
LIU Brooklyn 3, Bryant 1 (26-28, 25-17, 21-25, 23-25)
Records: Bryant (12-8, 2-1); LIU Brooklyn (6-6, 3-0)
Location: Steinberg Wellness Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 

Coach Garlacy's Comments
"Tonight was a hard-fought match that could have gone either way. Both teams went on runs and we were evenly matched. Our serve receive was very consistent and we ran a great pin to pin offense. Kirstyn Sperry and Erika Ward served very tough and our outsides really got the job done. It was a battle and we look forward to playing them at the Chace."

How it Happened

• Set 1 – Bryant jumped out to a 5-0 lead and held a 10-6 advantage before an 8-1 LIU run put the Blackbirds ahead 14-11. LIU led 22-17 before Bryant tied the set at 23 on a kill from junior Brianna Bruny (Biscayne Park, Fla.). The teams would go back and forth until LIU closed out the set at 28-26. Sophomore Erika Ward (Rochester, Mich.) had 13 digs in the opening set.
• Set 2 – The teams were tied at 12 before a 9-3 Bryant run opened up a 21-15 advantage. Following a Bryant timeout at 21-17, the Bulldogs took the next four points to win the set.
• Set 3 – LIU opened up a 10-5 lead in the set, prompting a Bryant timeout. The Blackbirds would get the next point, but the Bulldogs answered with the following five to force an LIU timeout.
• Set 4 – The teams were tied at 22 before LIU recorded the next two points to force match point before Bryant pulled to within one at 24-23. The Bulldogs seemed to have tied the set at 24, but an LIU challenge overturned the call on a net violation, awarding match point to the Blackbirds.

Stats/Notes

• Flynn tallied 16 kills, 15 digs and three blocks. Flynn moves to within 29 kills of 1,000 for her Bulldog career.
• Senior Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) tallied 13 kills, eight digs and two blocks, while freshman Caroline Kennedy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) chipped in with 12 kills and three blocks.
• Richmeyer was in eight of Bryant's 13 blocks, while Bruny contributed to five, including two solo blocks.
• Ward notched a team-high 22 digs.
• Senior Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) racked up 32 assists, nine digs, eight kills and three blocks.
• The Bulldogs hit .167 in the match, while the Blackbirds hit .208.
• Bryant drops to 4-17 all-time against LIU.

Up Next
Bryant closes out its Brooklyn weekend with a Saturday contest at St. Francis Brooklyn. First serve is slated for 4 p.m.

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