Bryant's NEC winning streak snapped by LIU Brooklyn

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University volleyball team was held off in five sets by LIU Brooklyn Friday night at the Chace Athletic Center, snapping the Bulldogs' seven-match NEC winning streak.

Senior Grace Richmeyer (DeSoto, Mo.) tallied 13 kills on an errorless .394 hitting percentage and matched her season-high with eight blocks. Senior Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) collected a career-high 26 digs.

Match Information
LIU Brooklyn 3, Bryant 2 (25-22, 27-29, 22-25, 29-27, 10-15)
Records: Bryant (20-11, 10-3); LIU Brooklyn (15-7, 12-1)
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)

Coach Garlacy's Comments
"This was a great battle where we saw our middles step up and have a huge impact. Grace and Bri were outstanding on both sides of the ball. Kingi was key for us on defense with a career-high in digs. Sperry ran the offense smoothly and came up with a huge block and kill to send us into a fifth set."

How it Happened

• Set 1 – LIU led 4-1 before a 6-0 run with two blocks and a kill from Richmeyer gave the Bulldogs a 7-4 lead. The Blackbirds would use three blocks in a 6-0 run to go up 15-12 and went on to lead 21-18. Bryant answered with the next five points, including two kills from freshman Caroline Kennedy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), to go up 23-21. Kennedy forced set point on another kill and Bryant closed out a 25-22 decision in the first set.
• Set 2 – An 8-1 run put LIU up 15-7 before Bryant chipped away again, tying the set at 22 on kills from Kennedy and Kingi. A block from Richmeyer and redshirt-senior Julia Flynn (Pembroke, Mass.) gave the Bulldogs a 27-26 advantage before the Blackbirds took the final three points of the set.
• Set 3 – LIU went up 8-1 to begin the set but Bryant would bring it back within one point on three occasions. After a kill from freshman Jenna Knight (Scottsdale, Ariz.) made it 19-18, LIU was able to build some separation and close out a 25-22 third set.
• Set 4 – Bryant used an 8-1 run to build a 9-3 lead, but this time it was LIU that would keep pace and eventually take a two-point lead at 22-20. A kill from Kingi followed by back-to-back kills from Kennedy put Bryant ahead 23-22 and the teams would trade tallies from there. LIU led 27-26 before kills from Flynn and senior Kirstyn Sperry (Phoenix, Ariz.) gave the Bulldogs a one-point advantage. On the following serve, Flynn downed the ball inches inside the end line for a set-point ace and forced a fifth set.
• Set 5 – Neither team led by more than two points in a back-and-forth fifth set until LIU rattled off six straight points to turn an 8-8 tie into a 14-8 lead. Bryant fended off match point twice before the Blackbirds closed out a 15-10 win in the set and a five-set victory.

Stats/Notes

• Kennedy tallied a team-high 18 kills, good for her 22^nd performance of 10 or more this season.
• Kingi recorded a double-double of 11 kills and 26 digs while recording two blocks. The senior moved within 46 digs of Bryant's Division I career record held by Debora Magalhaes.
• Richmeyer hit .394 (13-0-33) with seven blocks, including one solo.
• Flynn racked up 11 kills, 17 digs, five blocks and two aces.
• Sperry recorded 38 assists, while senior Julia Malet (San Rafael, Calif.) tallied 17.
• Junior Brianna Bruny (Biscayne Park, Fla.) gave the Bulldogs a spark off the bench with seven kills on a .353 hitting percentage along with five blocks.
• Sophomore Erika Ward (Rochester, Mich.) recorded 12 digs, moving her within 43 of 1,000 for her collegiate career.
• The Bulldogs hit .161 for the match, while the Blackbirds hit .156.
• Both teams recorded 14 blocks in the match.
• Bryant drops to 4-18 all-time against LIU Brooklyn and is defeated at home by the Blackbirds for the first time since 2014.

Up Next
The Bulldogs close out the regular season at home Saturday at 6 p.m. when the Bulldogs host St. Francis Brooklyn on Senior Night. Bryant will honor Kristin Kingi, Kirstyn Sperry, Julia Flynn, Grace Richmeyer and Julia Malet prior to the match.

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