Bryant hosts Hampton Inn-vitational Friday and Saturday
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University volleyball team begins a stretch of four straight matches at the Chace Athletic Center when it hosts the Hampton Inn-vitational Friday and Saturday.
The Bulldogs welcome Marist, North Dakota and Villanova to the Chace for the six-match tournament that features three matches Friday and three Saturday. The full tournament schedule can be found HERE. Hampton Inn Smithfield is a proud partner of Bryant University Athletics and the Hampton Inn-vitational.
The Particulars
Opponent: North Dakota
Match Time: Friday – 6 p.m.
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Watch: NEC Front Row (Drew Celli)
Live Stats: Presto Sports
All-Time Series: North Dakota leads, 2-0
Opponent: Villanova
Match Time: Saturday – 12 p.m.
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Watch: NEC Front Row (Drew Celli)
Live Stats: Presto Sports
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Opponent: Marist
Match Time: Saturday – 4 p.m.
Location: Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.)
Watch: NEC Front Row (Drew Celli)
Live Stats: Presto Sports
All-Time Series: Marist leads, 4-1
LAST TIME OUT: NEW HAMPSHIRE 3, BRYANT 0
Bryant was tripped up in straight sets Tuesday by perennial America East contender New Hampshire. Sophomore Caroline Kennedy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and freshman Maggie Ryan (Bethesda, Md.) recorded three blocks each in the three-set match.
ABOUT THE FIGHTING HAWKS
North Dakota is 3-1 on the year with wins over UAPB, ULM and Mississippi Valley State. The Fighting Hawks, who went 14-19 in 2018, will play their first 12 matches of this season more than 1,200 miles from home.
North Dakota's visit to Smithfield is the first since the then-Fighting Sioux defeated Bryant in the 2008 National Transitions Challenge, organized by Coach Garlacy and hosted at the Chace Athletic Center for teams reclassifying to Division I at the end of the last decade.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
Villanova went 2-1 in its opening weekend tournament at TCU with wins over Lipscomb and High Point. The Wildcats won 19 matches a season ago and went 4-0 against common opponents with the Bulldogs (Delaware, Dartmouth, Providence, Providence.
The Bulldogs and Wildcats will meet for the first time Saturday.
ABOUT THE RED FOXES
Marist went 0-3 in the season's opening weekend with defeats to Alabama, Colgate and Buffalo. The Red Foxes took Colgate to five sets Saturday.
The Bulldogs picked up their first-ever win over the Red Foxes Aug. 31, 2018 in the Bronx. Caroline Kennedy had 15 kills for the Bulldogs, while Marist setter Taylor van der Biezen – now an assistant coach for Bryant – collected 16 assists and eight digs.
FIRST TERM McGOVERN-OR
Freshman Emma McGovern (Long Beach, N.Y.) led the Bulldogs in digs in her first weekend in Black & Gold, collecting double-digit totals against San Diego State and FGCU. McGovern added two blocks Saturday vs. Akron.
McGovern was named Molten/NEC Rookie of the Week for her efforts, becoming the third Bulldog in the last three seasons to earn a conference rookie of the week honor (Caroline Kennedy, Erika Ward.)
POP STAR
Sophomore Maya Popernik (Chicago, Ill.) collected a career-high 18 digs in the four-set match against Akron Saturday, including 10 in a first set win for the Bulldogs over the Zips. Popernik eclipsed her previous career-high of seven digs last season in a win at Hartford.
BIG DIG
Junior Erika Ward (Rochester, Mich.) is the first player in Bryant's program history to collect 1,000 digs by the end of her sophomore season. Ward reached the mark with a 32-dig performance in last year's NEC Semifinal. The libero from Michigan enters Friday with 1,064 career digs, 311 back of Kristin Kingi's Division I career record set last season.
Ward will be honored for her 1,000th career dig prior to Friday's match.
16x4
Bryant is the only Division I volleyball program in New England to win 16 or more matches in each of the last four seasons. The Bulldogs have won at least 19 in all four campaigns with a D1 program-record 22 in 2018.
NORTH BY NORTHEAST
After opening the year with three matches in Florida, Bryant is in a stretch of 24 straight matches within 200 miles of Smithfield. The Bulldogs will cross the Hudson River just twice during that stretch through the end of October when Bryant travels to Army West Point (Sept. 13-14) and Fairleigh Dickinson (Sept. 27.)
ALL THE YOUNG DAWGS
Ten of Bryant's 16 players in 2019 are either freshmen or sophomores. Kennedy, Jenna Knight (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Haley O'Brien (Milton, Mass.) and Popernik all made pivotal contributions to the Bulldogs' November run as freshmen and are joined by six newcomers: Mia Cergol (East Northport, N.Y.), Riley James (Pocasset, Mass.), McGovern, Abby Rae (Walpole, Mass.), Ryan and Alysa Wright (Wayne, Pa.). All 10 appeared in at least two matches in the opening weekend, while all six freshmen saw the floor together Tuesday at New Hampshire.
516 AND COUNTING
Head coach Theresa Garlacy picked up her 500th career victory in last September's win over Coppin State, 22 years to the day of her first victory over Saint Michael's in 1996. Garlacy has won 516 matches in her collegiate head coaching career - all at Bryant – entering Saturday.
UP NEXT: PROVIDENCE
Bryant looks for its third-straight win in the series with in-state foe Providence when the Friars visit the Chace Athletic Center Tuesday at 7 p.m. Tickets are available by clicking HERE.
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