September 27, 2008

BULLDOGS SPLIT DAY TWO OF DARTMOUTH TOURNAMENT, TAKE 3-1 VICTORY OVER HOST IN NIGHTCAP

Boxscore vs. Harvard / Boxscore vs. Dartmouth

HANOVER, NH - Led by 35 total kills and 15 blocks from freshman Maria Scocca (Melrose, Mass.), the Bryant University volleyball team wrapped up the Dartmouth Tournament with a Day Two split, falling to Harvard, 3-1, before overtaking the host Big Green in Saturday's nightcap, 3-1.

After a strong opening set against the Crimson in the morning match - and a convincing 25-10 victory - the Bulldogs struggled to contain the Harvard (4-7) offense, despite a double-double from freshman Hilary Andrews (Tipp City, Ohio), her third of the year. The rookie tied a game high with 14 kills, also registering 11 digs in the four-set loss.

Fellow frosh Scocca matched the 14 kills of both Andrews and Harvard's Kathryn McKinley, also recording a trio of blocks and an ace.

Senior co-captain Delia Glover (Marston Mills, Mass.) also had a strong match, collecting 20 digs with an ace of her own.

But it was the 3-1 nightcap victory over host Dartmouth College (4-7) that saw the Bulldogs get one of their most hard-fought wins of the season, taking close 25-23 victory in the first set before the Big Green evened the score with a 25-21 win in the second.

Bryant took the third set, 25-14, before an eventual 28-26 win in the fourth, solidified by a kill from senior Monika Sattler (Gruenwald, Germany).

Scocca added to her solid day on the court, recording a career-high 21 kills with 12 total blocks (3 BS, 9 BA) en route to being named to the all-tournament team. Joining Scocca in the honor was senior co-captain Maureen Atkins (Fenton, Mo.). Atkins earned three service aces with 20 digs in the Game Two win.

Andrews added another 15 kills as well, with freshman Jazmin Stoner (Durango, Colo.) collecting 11. Glover collected 22 more digs in the second match, for a total of 42 on the day.

Bryant next plays when the Bulldogs open up October with their second home match of the season. Bryant will host future Northeast Conference opponent Fairleigh Dickinson University, Thurs., Oct. 2 at 6:00 p.m. in the Chace Athletic Center.