Bulldogs Fall to UMBC in America East Semifinals

VESTAL, N.Y.- The Bryant women's volleyball team fell to UMBC in the America East semifinals on Saturday at Binghamton. The No. 3 seeded Bulldogs' season ended with a 3-1 loss to the defending champion and No. 2 seeded Retrievers.

Caroline Kennedy led the Bulldogs with 13 total points, coming on the strength of ten kills and six block assists. Riley James and Alysa Wright also had double-digit points, and Mia Cergol had a match-high 34 assists.

Coach Garlacy's Comments: "I am super proud of our team and how hard they competed. We started strong and just could not overcome a momentum switch midway through the second set. I have the utmost respect for my seniors and two grad students. They have left a legacy for Bryant volleyball."

UMBC 3, Bryant 1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-15, 15-14)

Records: BRY (19-12, 6-4 AE), UMBC (16-8, 7-3 AE)

How it Happened

Set 1: Riley James kicked things off with a kill on the first rally, setting off a back-and-forth battle between the two teams through the first half of the set. A pair of 4-0 runs helped the Bulldogs turn a 10-9 deficit into a 19-14 lead, setting them up to take the first set by seven. Kennedy's five kills paced Bryant in the first.

Set 2: Both teams traded blows for most of the second set, with seven ties and a pair of lead changes marking the tightly fought battle. UMBC finally pulled ahead with a 4-0 lead to break a 16-16 tie, and were able to withstand a Bryant run led by James and Haley O'Brien kills to even the match. Cergol had 13 assists for the second straight set.

Set 3: The Retrievers seized control early in Set 3, opening up a 9-3 lead before the Bulldogs called timeout. UMBC maintained momentum for much of the set, holding off a late 5-0 run from Bryant to take the 2-1 match lead. Alysa Wright had two aces and a block for the Bulldogs.

Set 4: A close start to Set 4 was broken by a 5-1 UMBC run, as the Retrievers opened up a 12-7 lead. The Bulldogs trimmed the lead to three, but could not mount a full comeback. Wright added another three blocks in the set.

Bulldog Notes and Notables

• Mia Cergol's 34 assists raised her career total to 2,695, passing Kirstyn Sperry for third on Bryant's Division I leaderboard.

• Bryant eclipsed ten total blocks for the sixth time this season. Alysa Wright and Caroline Kennedy had six block assists each to lead the team.

• Wright finished with a match-high three aces. She ends the season as the team leader with 34 aces, which are also a career-high. She also rounds out the year as the team leader in kills, blocks, and attack percentage.

• Emma McGovern was named to the All-Tournament team.