Bulldogs Split Day One of Kaiser Classic

QUEENS, N.Y.- The Bryant women's volleyball team split its two matches on the opening day of the St John's Kaiser Classic, with both results being 3-0 sweeps. The Bulldogs defeated Stonehill in the afternoon before falling to the Red Storm in the nightcap. Aubrey Lapour led the Bulldogs with twelve kills and four blocks in their win over the Skyhawks, while Fabi Castro had ten kills and a block against SJU.

Coach Garlacy's Comments: "Emma McGovern and Aubrey Lapour were super consistent in their approach to the matches this weekend. Alysa Wright also played very well."

Bryant 3, Stonehill 0 (25-11, 25-23, 25-21)

Records: BRY (6-3), STO (0-6)

How it Happened

Set 1: A Fabi Castro kill and Emma McGovern ace opened the scoring in the first set, as Bryant took control early en route to a 15-3 advantage. The Bulldogs led the first wire-to-wire, taking the set by a 14-point margin, 25-11. Aubrey Lapour and Alysa Wright teamed up for seven kills and six block assists in the set for Bryant.

Set 2: Castro and McGovern once again started the scoring for the Bulldogs, as both had kills to put Bryant up 2-0 early. Stonehill was able to stay close in the second, but the Bulldogs never trailed, staving off the Skyhawk attack to win 25-23. Castro, Lapour, and Haley O'Brien each had three kills in the set for the Bulldogs.

Set 3: Morgan Smith registered the first of 16 Bryant kills in Set 3, helping the Bulldogs run out to a 12-4 lead before Stonehill burned both of their timeouts. The Skyhawks were able to close the gap in the late stages, but Carolina Camacho's first career kill sealed the sweep for the Bulldogs.

Bulldog Notes and Notables

• Aubrey Lapour reached double-digit kills for the third straight match, leading all players with twelve. Her four block assists also gave her a match-high 14 total points.

• Lapour's .522 hitting percentage set a new career high, and was the second best for a Bryant player this season, after Alysa Wright's .529 performance at Hofstra. Lapour finished the match without committing an attack error in 23 attempts.

• The Bulldogs held Stonehill to a .028 attack percentage, their best effort this season. The Skyhawks posted 26 kills against 23 errors in 106 attempts.

• Emma McGovern took over the team lead in aces, serving two to give her eight on the season. McGovern, Wright, and Riley James all have six or more aces so far this year.

St. John's 3, Bryant 0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-20)

Records: SJU (5-4), BRY (6-4)

How it Happened

Set 1: Bryant and St. John's traded points to open the match, tying the score at three before an 8-2 SJU run gave them control. The Bulldogs responded, with kills by McGovern, Castro, and Wright cutting the lead to three. The Johnnies were able to hold the lead, despite four consecutive kills by Wright and McGovern at the end of the set. Wright and Castro had four kills each in the set, while McGovern added three kills and a block.

Set 2: The Bulldogs got off to a hot start in the second, scoring the first three points on a pair of kills and an SJU attack error. The Red Storm came back to tie it at three, and both teams went back and forth to the tune of seven ties and three lead changes. The score was still tied at nine all before a 6-0 St. John's run gave them the lead for good. Six different players recorded a kill for Bryant in the set, led by three apiece from Castro and Lapour.

Set 3: Bryant led early in the third, but a run by SJU gave them the lead at 6-5. The Bulldogs stayed close throughout the set, cutting the lead down to one multiple times before SJU pulled away to clinch the sweep. Castro and McGovern each had three kills for Bryant in the set, while Wright added a pair of kills, an ace, and a block.

Bulldog Notes and Notables

• Mia Cergol posted twenty assists and ten digs in the match, her team-leading fifth double-double this year. She has notched at least twenty assists or more in three of her last four matches.

• Abby Rae anchored the defense with thirteen digs, her third straight match with double-digit digs and seventh this season. She leads the America East with 126 total digs through ten matches.

What's next: The Bulldogs will round out the Kaiser Classic at 11:00 am tomorrow against Southeastern Louisiana.