Bulldogs Split Second Day of Dog Pound Challenge

STORRS, CT- The Bryant women's volleyball team split its Saturday matches at the Dog Pound Challenge, sweeping Lindenwood early in the day and falling to UConn in five sets in the nightcap. The Bulldogs finished their final regular season tournament with a 2-1 record, and Alysa Wright and Abby Rae were named to the all-tournament team.

Coach Garlacy's Comments: "What an epic battle tonight's match was. I couldn't be any prouder of this team. Maggie came in off the bench and gave us a real spark and Riley played awesome as well. Abby was fierce on defense all weekend. She was the key to our win over Lindenwood. Emma passed with precision and came in for some key swings to side out. Both setters were aggressive. This team has turned a corner and has an amazing future."

Bryant 3, Lindenwood 0 (25-23, 25-19, 28-26)

Records: BRY (9-5) LIN (3-5)

How it Happened

Set 1: Lindenwood got out to the early advantage, scoring four of the first five points. Bryant responded with a 6-1 run, eventually taking an 8-7 lead. After a flurry of back-and-forth points, the Lions went on another run, opening up a 22-17 advantage. The Bulldogs came back, going on an 8-1 run to close the set, capped by three consecutive aces from Abby Rae.

Set 2: Bryant took the lead early in Set 2, opening up an early seven-point advantage. Lindenwood made a late push to cut their deficit to two points, but Rae's fourth ace and kills by Caroline Kennedy, Emma McGovern, Fabi Castro, and Alysa Wright helped seal the set win for the Bulldogs. Wright and Lapour combined for ten kills in the set.

Set 3: 19 ties and six lead changes marked a close and competitive third set. Neither team held more than a two-point lead, and the Bulldogs had to twice stave off set point before tying the score at 24. Back-to-back kills by Riley James broke a 26-26 tie and gave the Bulldogs the set and the match. Lapour and James combined for nine kills and six digs in the deciding set.

Bulldog Notes and Notables

• Aubrey Lapour led all players with 15 kills and recorded 35 kills through two matches on the weekend. Her 120 kills on the season are sixth most in the America East.

• Abby Rae led all players and tied a career-high with her four service aces. She added a match-high 14 digs, along with five assists. With 67 career aces, Rae is four away from moving into the top ten in Bryant's Division I history.

• Carolina Camacho posted double-doubles in each of the first two matches this weekend. She had 17 assists, eleven digs, and two kills against the Lions.

Connecticut 3, Bryant 2 (25-11, 24-26, 25-23, 23-25, 15-9)

Records: BRY (9-6), UCONN (6-5)

How it Happened

Set 1: UConn stormed out of the gates, taking a 7-0 lead to take control of the first set. Bryant came back with a 4-1 run, but were unable to catch the Huskies who won the first set in by 14. Riley James had three kills and no errors in the first half for the Bulldogs.

Set 2: Bryant came back with a vengeance in Set 2, as a kill by James helped the Bulldogs open up the early lead. UConn rallied back to take a one-point lead, triggering a back-and-forth run that saw the score still tied at 14 all. The Huskies came out of the tie on a 5-0 run, eventually extending their lead to 24-19. Facing set point multiple times, Bryant roared back with their own run, scoring seven unanswered points to win the set 26-24. The Bulldogs' comeback nearly fell short, but a replay review overturned a potentially set-ending kill by the Huskies.

Set 3: Bryant scored the first two points of the third set and led up until a 4-0 run gave UConn a 7-5 lead. The Bulldogs stayed close, eventually taking a 17-16 lead on a kill by James. Despite holding the late lead, Bryant was unable to stop a 5-2 UConn run to win the set 25-23. James had five kills and three digs for the Bulldogs in the third.

Set 4: Both teams traded big runs to open the fourth, with Bryant going up 5-1 before UConn came back to take a 10-7 lead. The lead would change hands a total of five times in the set, with both teams gaining momentum from big scoring runs. Eventually, back-to-back kills by Fabi Castro broke a 22-22 tie, helping Bryant to a 25-23 set win. The Bulldogs utilized another successful challenge late in the set, as the call on the second of Castro's kills was originally ruled an attack error.

Set 5: A pair of Maggie Ryan kills helped the Bulldogs take a 4-3 lead in the deciding fifth set, but a 5-1 UConn run gave the Huskies the lead, one they would not give up. Two more kills by Castro helped Bryant keep pace, but they fell, 15-9. 

Bulldog Notes and Notables

• Riley James finished the match with a season-high 15 kills, leading the Bulldogs in that category. She was also stout on defense with 16 digs (good for her third double-double) and 33 serve receptions without an error.

• Abby Rae reached double figures in digs for the ninth time this season, doing so with a match-high 18. She added five assists and successfully received 24 of 25 serves that came her way.

• Maggie Ryan set a new career high with 9.5 total points, doing so with eight kills and three block assists. Her eight kills also tied her career high, and she did so with a .500 attack percentage. 

What's next: The Bulldogs will return home this Tuesday, hosting Hartford in the Chace Athletic Center at 6:00 pm.