Bryant downs CCSU for fifth straight win

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Redshirt-senior Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) recorded 20 kills and seniors Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) tallied double-doubles in a four-set win for the Bryant University volleyball team over Central Connecticut Saturday night.

Flynn posted 20 kills while hitting .295, adding nine digs and three aces in the Bulldogs' fifth consecutive victory. Kingi, who passed 800 career kills on the night, chipped in with 16 kills and 19 digs, while Sperry notched 37 assists and 13 digs to move into the top five in Bryant's Division I era in digs.

Match Information
Bryant 3, Central Connecticut 1 (19-25, 25-18, 25-16, 27-25)
Records: Bryant (18-9, 8-2); Central Connecticut (10-11, 7-3)
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.) 

Coach Garlacy's Comments
"Tonight was an incredible team win. It was a completely different match from our last outing, with the pins dominating this time out. We served tough and kept them out of system frequently.

"We were able to make some amazing defensive plays that gave us many second chances. Everyone really stepped up."

How it Happened

• Set 1 – A kill from Sperry put the Bulldogs up 10-9, but CCSU responded with an 8-1 run to take a 17-11 advantage. Bryant would fight off set point three times, but CCSU eventually closed out a 25-19 first-set win.
• Set 2 – Bryant had three separate 4-0 runs in the set and led 22-15 before three straight CCSU points forced a Bulldog timeout. Bryant answered with kills from freshman Caroline Kennedy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and Flynn before winning the set 25-18 on a CCSU attack error.
• Set 3 – The Bulldogs scored eight of the final 11 points of the set behind four kills from Kingi for a 25-16 victory to go up 2-1.
• Set 4 – Bryant led by as many as seven points midway through the set before the Blue Devils chipped away. The Bulldogs led 23-19, but a 5-1 CCSU run evened the set at 24. After attack errors by both teams, kills from Flynn and senior Grace Richmeyer (DeSoto, Mo.) closed out the four-set win for the Bulldogs with a 27-25 fourth set.

Stats/Notes

• Flynn posted her third match this season of 20 or more kills.
• Kingi collected her 14^th double-digit kill total of the year, fourth straight match of 10 or more kills and fourth straight double-double.
• Sperry's 37 assists brought her within two of 2,500 for her career, while her 13 digs moved her past Elena Lohr for fifth in Bryant's Division I era with 1,147.
• Kennedy added 11 kills, while Richmeyer chipped in with nine.
• Sophomore Erika Ward (Rochester, Mich.) totaled 14 digs.
• Bryant improves to 8-17 all-time against Central Connecticut.
• The Bulldogs move to 44-6 (.880) at the Chace Athletic Center since the start of 2015.

Up Next
Bryant hosts Dartmouth Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Chace Athletic Center.

Follow Bryant University volleyball on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get an inside look at the program.