Bulldogs Beat UNH With Second Straight Sweep

SMITHFIELD, R.I.- The Bryant women's volleyball team wrapped up a dominant weekend with its second straight sweep, taking down New Hampshire on Sunday in the Chace Center. The Bulldogs are now 2-1 through three America East matches.

The match's key moment came early on in Set 1 when the Bulldogs rattled off seven consecutive kills to turn a 6-3 deficit into a 10-6 lead. Bryant finished with 45 total kills, led by Alysa Wright's 13. She added a match-leading five blocks, whale Mia Cergol dished a season-high 39 assists with three kills and two aces.

Coach Garlacy's Comments: "We played very confident and composed today. We served very aggressively, and Mia ran a balanced offense, with the result being the middles getting a high volume of attacks. Carol and Aubrey both came on in key moments and gave us a surge off the bench. It was a great team effort."

Bryant 3, New Hampshire 0 (25-20, 25-11, 25-21)

Records: BRY (12-8, 2-1 AE), UNH (12-7, 2-2 AE)

How it Happened

Set 1: Back-to-back aces helped UNH out to the early lead in Set 1, but Bryant roared back their seven-kill barrage to take command of the set and force a Wildcat timeout. UNH cut the lead back to two, but a 4-1 Bulldog run helped them extend the lead and put things away. Alysa Wright and Haley O'Brien had five kills apiece for Bryant, while Mia Cergol assisted on 13 of 15 kills for the Bulldogs.

Set 2: Both teams traded points to open the second, but another seven-point run for the Bulldogs helped them turn a slim two-point lead into a commanding 17-8 advantage. They kept up the momentum, scoring eight of the final ten points for a 25-11 set win. Four different players recorded an ace for Bryant, who hit .500 on 18 attempts.

Set 3: The final set was close throughout, with 15 ties and nine lead changes marking the back-and-forth battle. An early three-point lead for Bryant was the largest of the set before the Bulldogs closed things out on a 6-1 run, punctuated by a match-ending kill from Alysa Wright. Wright was dominant in the final set with five kills and three blocks.

Bulldog Notes and Notables

• Bryant's .367 attack percentage was their second-highest mark this season, and the second time they've hit over .300 through twenty matches. Alysa Wright (13 kills, .647) and Haley O'Brien (ten kills, .529) led an efficient hitting display for the Bulldogs.

• Wright was a key contributor in Bryant's two sweeps this weekend, finishing with 23 kills, eight blocks, and a .543 attack percentage.

• Mia Cergol posted her second straight match with 35+ assists. Her season-best 39 give her 86 for the weekend, 427 on the season, and 2310 for her career.

• The Bulldogs have now recorded back-to-back sweeps for the second time this season, and improve to 7-1 at home in 2022. They've won ten consecutive sets on their home court, including three straight sweeps at the Chace.

What's next: Bryant will hit the road on Friday, taking on Binghamton at 7:00 pm.