Bryant looks to clinch NEC Tournament berth in Connecticut
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – The Bryant University volleyball team sets its sights on clinching a fifth-consecutive trip to the Northeast Conference Tournament when the Bulldogs close out the regular season Friday and Saturday in Connecticut.
At least one Bryant victory would guarantee the Bulldogs a spot in the four-team field. There are other tiebreaker scenarios that would play in Bryant's favor, some of which would be determined by this weekend's results and scores.
The Particulars
Opponent: Central Connecticut
Match Time: Friday – 7 p.m.
Location: Detrick Gymnasium (New Britain, Conn.)
Watch: NEC Front Row
Live Stats: Presto Sports
All-Time Series: Central Connecticut leads, 17-10 (15-9 D1)
Opponent: Sacred Heart
Match Time: Saturday – 5 p.m.
Location: Pitt Center (Fairfield, Conn.)
Watch: NEC Front Row
Live Stats: Presto Sports
All-Time Series: Bryant leads, 26-18 (Sacred Heart leads D1 series, 16-8)
LAST TIME OUT: LONG ISLAND 3, BRYANT 2
Bryant hit .278 in a five-set match and received a double-double from freshman Riley James (Pocasset, Mass.) along with 17 kills from sophomore Caroline Kennedy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) on a .467 hitting percentage, but the Bulldogs were outlasted by Long Island last Friday on Senior Night.
ABOUT THE BLUE DEVILS
Central Connecticut enters its regular-season finale at 13-14 overall with a 9-6 mark in the NEC. The Blue Devils dropped a four-set decision at home to Sacred Heart Wednesday.
Madelyn Kaprelyan has done a little bit of everything for the Blue Devils this season, contributing 2.47 kills, 4.51 assists, 2.10 digs and 0.62 blocks per set. Emma Henderson leads CCSU in kills per set (2.95) and ranks second in digs (3.04), while Ashlyn Eisenga has recorded a team-high 4.58 digs per set.
ABOUT THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart is 16-11 and 11-3 in the NEC entering a Friday night contest at Merrimack. Wednesday's win clinched the Pioneers a spot in next weekend's NEC tournament.
Liisel Nelis leads SHU with 3.17 kills per set while Sarah Ciszek has added 1.78 kills per set on a .353 hitting percentage and 9.95 assists per set. Emma Smallcomb (3.78 digs per set) and Nelis (3.05) have helped the Pioneers to 16.08 digs per set as a team, good for second in the NEC. SHU leads the conference in kills per set (13.52) and assists per set (12.20).
A RECORD FOR WARD
Junior Erika Ward (Rochester, Mich.) collected 18 digs in last Friday's match vs. Long Island, passing Kristin Kingi for Bryant's Division I career digs mark. Ward moved to 1,380 for her career in just her third season in Black & Gold, topping the 1,375-dig output from Kingi from 2015-18.
K IS FOR KENNEDY
Kennedy ranks sixth in the Northeast Conference with a .353 hitting percentage and 3.10 kills per set in league matches. The sophomore from California is one of just three NEC players to rank in the top 10 in both categories, joining Emma Granger of Robert Morris (3rd, 3rd) and Madelyn Kaprelyan of Central Connecticut (7th, 8th.)
UNDERCLASS QUEENS
Bryant's two youngest classes have provided 92.3% of the offensive firepower in 2019. The Bryant sophomores, led by 2.71 kills per set from Kennedy, have contributed 44.4% of the Bulldogs' kills this season, while the freshmen, powered by 2.70 per set from James, have recorded 47.9%.
WRIGHT NOW
Freshman Alysa Wright (Wayne, Pa.) has emerged as a presence in the middle over Bryant's last nine matches, averaging 1.69 kills and 1.13 blocks per set. Wright collected a career-high 11 kills in the win over Central Connecticut and a career-best eight blocks in the victory at Long Island.
SWEET 16
One victory this weekend would give Bryant its fifth-consecutive season of 16 wins or more, making the Bulldogs the only team in New England to achieve the feat.
HITTING A HIGH NOTE
Bryant's .427 hitting percentage in the Oct. 4 sweep of Saint Francis U was its third-highest mark in the program's Division I era and best since 2008.
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