October 11, 2008 

BRYANT FALLS IN FIRST WEST COAST MATCHUP AGAINST NORTH DAKOTA, 3-0, SATURDAY MORNING

Boxscore

ROOKIE HILARY ANDREWS' EIGHT KILLS HELPED LEAD THE BULLDOGS SATURDAY AGAINST NORTH DAKOTA.

SEATTLE - In a match characterized by long rallies and a quick tempo, the Bryant University volleyball team found themselves in a true dogfight Saturday morning against the University of North Dakota - and the Bulldogs fought to one of their toughest showdowns of the season. But despite strong play and a team-high eight kills apiece from freshmen Hilary Andrews (Tipp City, Ohio) and Jazmin Stoner (Durango, Colo.), the Bulldogs couldn't pull out the win, falling, 3-0, in the first match of this weekend's Dig for the Cure Classic hosted by Seattle University.

The Bulldogs had difficulty early against a strong and quick North Dakota side, going down a 4-0 before getting their first point off a kill from freshman Maria Scocca (Melrose, Mass.).

A 4-0 UND lead turned to a 7-3 advantage before Bryant began to settle in and find its groove, but two consecutive errors on the part of North Dakota followed by a Julie Geonnotti (St. Louis Park, Minn.) kill knotted the game at 11-11.

Bryant took its first lead off another Sioux error, 12-11, but the edge would be short lived. With the game still tied, 14-14, UND took four straight points - and more importantly, the game's momentum - for a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Bulldogs wouldn't get closer than four points the remainder of the set, falling, 25-19.

It was the Bulldogs who came out to their own tempo in game two, though, taking a 5-2 advantage after big kills from Andrews and Scocca. The Sioux managed to tie the set at 7-7, but three-straight points by the Bulldogs - capped off by a Stoner swing that slammed to earth down the line - gave Bryant back the lead.

But a North Dakota timeout changed the tide in the second set, as the Sioux came back to the court to knot the game at 14-14 before taking a 15-14 lead and forcing Bryant to take a timeout of its own.

UND built its lead to three points late in the game, forcing the Bulldogs to dig even deeper, scoring six consecutive points including a solo block and kill from Scocca, to take over the lead, 23-21.

But the back and forth wasn't over. UND tied it at 23-23 before an attack error gave Bryant a set-point opportunity. But when set-point went to the Sioux, the Bulldogs weren't able to make the crucial kill to even the score, as North Dakota took a two-game lead with a 26-24 win.

But after a draining second game, the Bulldogs found themselves with a lot of ground to make up early on in a crucial third set. After a 6-6 tie to start the set, the Sioux quickly grew their lead from 12-8 up to 19-11 before Bryant started to chip away.

Six points from the Bryant side, highlighted by an ace from Geonotti and a kill from Andrews, cut its deficit to 19-17. But that was the closest that the Bulldogs would come in the decisive set, losing, 25-20.

The Bulldogs were led by eight kills from Andrews and Stoner, while senior co-captain Delia Glover (Marston Mills, Mass.) recorded a match-high 15 digs. The Sioux were paced by 11 kills from Amanda Polzin and nine blocks from Britta Hanson.

The Bulldogs continue the Seattle Dig for the Cure Classic Sunday, October 12, when they play in a Day Two doubleheader, facing off against the University of South Dakota (10 a.m.) and host Seattle University (1:30 p.m.) before returning to the east coast. The Coyotes of South Dakota and Redhawks of Seattle face off Saturday at 7:30 p.m.