Bulldogs split Day One at Kaiser Classic

QUEENS, N.Y. – The Bryant women's volleyball team went 1-1 today at the Kaiser Classic in Queens. Bryant fell in five sets to hosting St. John's University to start the tournament and then got a 4-1 victory over Columbia. Bryant's record now stands at 8-6 overall.

GAME INFORMATION

Bryant , St. John's (25-21, 25-14, 28-30, 14-25, 10-15)

Records: Bryant (7-6), St. John's (8-2) 

Location: Carnesecca Arena (Queens, N.Y.)

COACH GARLACY'S COMMENTS

"What a fantastic battle this morning.  We put ourselves in a great position to win in the third set and St. John's battled back. The fifth set was a big improvement from our previous two. Such a great learning opportunity for our team."

HOW IT HAPPENED (at St. John's)

• Set 1-The Bulldogs and Red Storm went back and forth to start the match, however Bryant maintained a steady advantage thanks to kills from Brookelyn Talmadge and Lea Mackey. An Arianna Ugolini service ace and Mackey kill would help close out the match for the Black and Gold as they would win by a score of 25-21. Carrina Barron, Josie Deluga, and Ugolini all had service aces for Bryant in the set and Brookelyn Talmadge hit .667.

• Set 2- After exchanging leads to open the second, Bryant would go on a 10-2 run to make the score 16-9. The Bulldogs capitalized on the Red Storm's mistakes and played stellar defense from Morgan Smith who posted a solo block and Brookelyn Talmadge who had 2 block assists. Bryant would win the set 25-14. Arianna Ugolini picked up 6 kills in the set.

• Set 3- Down 2-0, St. John's played Bryant extremely tough and kept the score close the entire match. Aubrey Lapour would have a kill late to put the Bulldogs ahead 25-24 but the set would be extended. Morgan Smith and Arianna Ugolini each had kills to help try and put the Red Storm away, but a pair of Bree Martin service aces would keep St. John's alive; winning by a score of 30-28.

• Set 4- St. John's would flip the script in the fourth set and this time go on a run of their own to turn a 6-6 tie into a 20-12 dominant performance. Ludovica Zola and Giorgia Walther each had 4 kills for the Red Storm as they would go on to win 25-14 and extend the match to five. Ugolini and Lapour each had multiple kills in the set and Carolina Camacho posted 6 assists. 

• Set 5- In the deciding set, St. John's would get out to a 6-1 advantage before Bryant would try to mount a comeback. Aubrey Lapour would tally 2 kills but the deficit would be too great as St. John's would hold on to win the set 15-10 and complete the 2-0 comeback in the match.

STATS

• Arianna Ugolini led the way for Bryant with 19 kills. 

• Carrina Barron and Arianna Ugolini each recorded 4 service aces against the Red Storm.

• Josie Deluga led the Bulldogs with 17 digs.

• St. John's Giorgia Walther led the match with 23 kills.

• Bryant has yet to win a match this year that has gone to five sets.

MATCH NOTES

• Arianna Ugolini (19) and Aubrey Lapour (13) each had double-digit kills for the Black and Gold.

• Carolina Camacho is averaging 27.25 assists over her last four matches.

GAME INFORMATION

Bryant , Columbia (25-15, 20-25, 25-16, 25-23)

Records: Bryant (8-6), Columbia (2-6) 

Location: Carnesecca Arena (Queens, N.Y.)

COACH GARLACY'S COMMENTS

"Huge team effort, several people came in off the bench and had an immediate impact. The support for each other was incredible. The way we finished this match is a turning point for our season. Big things ahead."

HOW IT HAPPENED (vs Columbia)

• Set 1-  Bryant rattled off seven straight points to open the match against Columbia and thanks to an efficient offensive attack and strong defense from Brookelyn Talmadge and Lea Mackey who each tallied 3 block assists. Arianna Ugolini led the Black and Gold with 5 kills in the first and Talmadge would have the deciding kill to win the match 25-15. 

• Set 2- The Lions collected themselves in the second set and battled back from a six point hole to tie the score at 16 on a Soah Franklin kill. Columbia would maintain the lead for the remainder of the match and win 25-20. Carrina Barron and Arianna Ugolini each had service aces for Bryant in the set and Aubrey Lapour hit .429. 

• Set 3- The Bulldogs regained momentum in the third set and set the tone for the rest of the match as they would begin to pull away after tying the score at seven on an Aubrey Lapour kill. Bryant would go on an 11-3 run with the help of kills from Morgan Smith and Nina Gavin and would ride to a 25-16 win.

• Set 4- Bryant and Columbia would exchange leads throughout the deciding set and were incredibly close throughout. However, the Bulldogs would prevail thanks to 9 combined kills from Ugolini and Lapour as well as 2 service aces from Josie Deluga. The Bulldogs would win the set 25-23 for the 3-1 match victory.

STATS

• London Hunt and Morgan Smith each had four block assists for the Bulldogs.

• Carolina Camacho posts 20+ assists for the fifth straight match.

• Josie Deluga led the defense with 16 digs.

• Soah Franklin led the Lions with 10 kills.

• Four Bulldogs recorded multiple service aces on the evening. 

MATCH NOTES

• Arianna Ugolini and Aubrey Lapour combined for 33 kills against the Lions

• Carrina Barron set a single game career high with 5 service aces.

UP NEXT

The Bulldogs will close out the Kaiser Classic tomorrow when they take on #16 ranked Arkansas at 2:00 PM.