Box Score Friday, November 15, 2008
BULLDOGS FALL IN SEASON FINALE HEARTBREAKER, 3-2 TO NORTH
DAKOTA IN NATIONAL TRANSITIONS CHALLENGE SATURDAY AFTERNOON
Boxscore
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Senior Delia Glover was named to the all-tournament
team for
her play in the weekend-long National Transitions
Challenge.
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SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Despite inspired playing on the part of
the Bryant University volleyball team in its season finale, the
Bulldogs, who saw two players earn double-doubles and another earn
a rare triple-double, weren't able to hold on for a win over North
Dakota Saturday afternoon, falling, 3-2, in the 2008 National
Transitions Challenge at the Chace Athletic Center.
The Bulldogs end their inaugural Division I season 16-19 after
the weekend losses, but left their hearts on the court in their
final matchup against North Dakota - also their final contest with
the likes of seniors Maureen Atkins (Fenton, Mo.), Delia
Glover (Marston Mills, Mass.) and Monika Sattler
(Gruenwald, Germany).
But more than just the seniors put on a show Saturday afternoon.
It was junior Julie Geonnotti (St. Louis Park,
Minn.) whose inspired play led the Bulldogs through five
sets, registering a triple-double - Bryant's first of the season.
The outside hitter who doubles as a setter collected 15 kills with
21 assists to compliment 17 digs on the day.
Freshman Maria Scocca (Melrose, Mass.) also
helped lead the home side with 16 kills, while fellow rookies
Hilary Andrews (Tipp City, Ohio) and
Jazmin Stoner (Durango, Colo.) recorded
double-doubles of their own, with Andrews collecting 13 kills with
15 digs and Stoner grabbing 10 kills with 21 digs.
Glover, a senior co-captain, paced the Bulldogs with 24 digs en
route to an all-tournament team selection while Atkins, her
co-captain counterpart, led the way with 27 assists.
The Bulldogs proved that they had come to play from the very
first set, when the University of North Dakota (24-8), a team
Bryant lost to in three sets just a month ago, seemed to keep just
one point ahead of the Bulldogs through the 14-14 mark of the
match.
Geonnotti helped make it 15-15, feeding Scocca a key set for a
huge kill to knot the game. The teams would continue to trade
points until the Fighting Sioux took a 22-20 advantage off a pair
of Bryant attack errors.
But the Bulldogs would dig deep to knot the score again at 23-23
before a huge block from UND's Britta Hanson and Erin Joki gave the
Sioux back the one-point edge.
But three straight points from Scocca - a kill setup by Glover
followed by a block from Scocca and Andrews followed by another
kill, this time from Atkins - gave the home side the 1-0 match
advantage with a 26-24 set one win.
In set two, the Bulldogs found themselves relinquishing a 6-3
lead before UND turned it into a 12-8 disadvantage for the
Bulldogs.
Four serves from the hands of Glover would take care of the
deficit, though, as Bryant came back for a 13-12 lead.
The score stayed close through the rest of the game, with
neither team leading by more than two. But in the end it would be
North Dakota's set, as Hanson knocked down the set-winning kill for
a 26-24 tally and a 1-1 match score.
Set three saw the Bulldogs get off to a slow start, falling
behind 4-0 before getting their first point of the game. But blocks
and service errors brought Bryant to within one, 5-4, before the
Sioux took off again, running the tally up to 16-7, from which the
Bulldogs would never recover.
The home team pulled within four, again with Glover serving,
thanks in part to a pair of aces, but Bryant would soon find
themselves down, 2-1 in the match.
Bryant took an early 6-1 lead in set four, keeping UND at bay
after a series of long rallies. But two service aces from the
Sioux's Devin Trefz knotted the game at 7-7.
The score stayed at a draw or within one point until, again,
Glover got the serve, taking her Bulldogs from down 11-10 to
leading 13-12.
A kill from Andrews, set up by Geonnotti, made it 14-13 in favor
of Bryant before Atkins service the Bulldogs to a 16-13 edge.
Bryant went up 18-15 from an Andrews ace and held the lead for
the remainder of the set, winning 25-22 on a run capped off by the
29th and final ace of Atkins's season.
And with one set left in their 2008 season - and in the careers
of three Bulldogs - Bryant dug even deeper, but it just wouldn't be
enough to come back from a huge North Dakota lead built by Taylor
Bohannon serves. The Bulldogs went down a quick 9-0 in the
shortened set, thanks in part to a trio of Bohannon aces. Bryant
would get just five points back before the Sioux took the 3-2 win.
Houston Baptist University won the 2008 National Transitions
Challenge, winning all four tournament games, including a
hard-fought 3-2 win over the University of South Dakota in the
Championship Saturday at noon.
The Bulldogs finish their 2008 inaugural Division I campaign
16-19.
2008 NATIONAL
TRANSITIONS CHALLENGE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Kathleen Hruska - USD
Delia Glover - Bryant
Amanda Polzin - UND
Jessica Barrera - HBU
Sydney Winslow - SUIE
Kaytlyn Dill - Seattle
