September 26, 2009

BULLDOGS TOP BROWN, 3-2, FALL TO HOWARD, 3-1, IN OPENING DAY OF 2009 BRYANT INVITATIONAL

Boxscore vs. Howard / Boxscore vs. Brown / Tournament Schedule

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Led by a double-double from sophomore Maria Scocca (Melrose, Mass.) and double-digit kills from a trio of Bulldogs, the Bryant University volleyball team came back from a tough 3-1 loss to Howard to top Brown, 3-2, in the nightcap of the Bryant Invitational Saturday at the Chace Athletic Center.

Each of the three teams who competed on the first day of the weekend tournament - Brown, Bryant and Howard - went 1-1 on their matches.

Senior captain Julie Geonnotti collected 20 kills, 29 assists, 16 digs and a block to lead the Bulldogs to a 1-1 record in Day One of the 2009 Bryant Invitational. www.dspics.net

After falling to Howard, 3-1, in their first matchup of the day, the Bulldogs (4-11) came out with a new fire against rival Brown (4-7) in the pair's first rematch since meeting in Providence, R.I. on Sept. 10 (a 3-1 Bryant win).

But the Bulldogs would take their first hit before the contest even began, losing starting rookie Macy Mitravich (Waimanalo, Hawaii) in pregame warm-ups.

But Bryant was determined to end the day on a high note. And in set one, it showed, as the Bulldogs took a 5-1 lead to open the match, a run capped off by an ace from freshman Emily Kaup (Chandler, Ariz.) in just her second serve attempt of the season.

The Bulldogs extended that lead to 12-5 quickly and would keep a multi-point advantage well into the heart of the set. But back-to-back attack errors by the Bulldogs followed by a Brianna Williamson kill brought the Bears back to within one, 18-17.

The set would stay close, knotting at 20-20 before the Bulldogs took the lead for good, winning the set, 25-22.

Bryant wouldn't let up in the second set, either. Junior libero Robyn Gardner (Longwood, Fla.) opened up with an ace as the Bulldogs took a 3-0 lead before allowing Brown a point.

And while the Bears tied the game at 4-4, Bryant would steadily increase its hold on the set, thanks in part to five powerful kills from Scocca, for a 14-10 lead.

But when the Bears closed the gap to 16-14 in the home team's favor, sophomore Jazmin Stoner (Durango, Colo.) stepped in with a pair of aces before giving one back with a service error. Brown's Alexandra Ilistad immediately returned the favor, copying Stoner and giving the Bulldogs a 19-17 advantage.

But a Kaup serving error brought the Bears within one before a big solo block from Scocca kickstarted a 5-3 Bryant run that gave the Bulldogs a 25-21 win and a 2-0 match advantage.

The third saw Williamson break out for six kills to pace the visitors to nearly a game-long lead. Bryant was on top just three times on the game, never beyond the 7-6 mark. But the Bulldogs kept it close late in the set, closing the gap to 23-20 on an Adriana Fuertes (Miramar, Puerto Rico) ace before eventually falling, 25-20.

The fourth set was much of the same with Brown leading the way to nearly the same result, a 25-19 win. The victory tied the match at 2-2 and forced a first-to-15 deciding fifth set.

But the clincher was all about the Bulldogs. Hopping out to a 4-0 advantage, Bryant never trailed in the shortened set. The defensive combination of Scocca and Kaup at the net was detrimental to the Bears' offense, as the pair united to knock down three blocks, with Scocca adding a solo stuff.

Junior captain Adrienne Boss (Dracut, Mass.) led the charge in the fifth, collecting four of the team's seven kills in the set. But while Bryant was up the whole way, Brown threatened in the closing points, bringing the score back to 14-13.

Scocca would earn the right for the day's final kill, taking a set from Fuertes off a Megan Toman serve and knocking down match point, 15-13.

On the match, Boss (11), Scocca (18) and senior captain Julie Geonnotti (Eden Prairie, Minn.) (14) each recorded double-digit kills, while Scocca's 18 kills and 11 blocks (3 solo, 8 assists) earned her a double-double. With the injury to Mitravich, Geonnotti was also able to get back to her roots as an outside hitter, collecting a key double-double of her own with 14 kills and 10 digs.

Gardner led the Bulldogs defensively with 19 digs, while Fuertes collected 35 assists.

A trio of Bears gathered double-digit kill totals, led by 17 from Williamson. Libero Carly Cotton gathered 28 digs while Ilistad's 40 assists were a match high.

The Bulldogs wouldn't fare quite as well in the day's first match against Howard (2-17), though.

The Bulldogs and the Bison kept it close to open the first set, virtually trading points until the Bulldogs took a three-point lead at 11-8. Bryant would maintain a slight advantage, never leading by more than three, until Howard knotted the score at 16-16 after a trio of consecutive points to force a Bulldog timeout.

Bryant came out to another three-point edge out of the break, one that the Bison would erase quickly to tie the game again, 19-19. The teams would trade points from there until Howard edged out to a 23-22 lead, thanks to a kill from Taylor Montgomery.

The visitors would serve for set point following a big block from Montgomery and Nia Moore, but Bryant's Jazmin Stoner (Durango, Colo.) would get the kill for a 24-23 Howard edge.

But after a Bison timeout, Gazelle D'Artois would seal the first set victory, knocking down a set from Moore for a 25-23 win.

In the third, the Bulldogs ripped off nine points in 10 chances to take a 15-11 lead mid-set, highlighted by back-to-back block assists from the duo of Stoner and Scocca.

The Bulldogs would grow that lead to seven points, 20-13, capped off by another big-time block from Scocca and Mitravich.

From there, Howard would start to eat away at that lead, closing the gap to 22-18. But that Keri Partridge ace for point 18 would be the last for the Bison, as Bryant scored three-consecutive points - two off Stoner kills - to take a 25-18 win and even the match at 1-1.

The home side would fall off in the third set, not putting up much of a fight while Howard worked on a 25-14 win. Scocca would record six kills to lead Bryant, but nine attack errors and a trio of blocking errors would spoil the Bulldogs' chances. Howard, on the other hand, would use four service aces, 10 blocks and a .292 team hitting percentage to take the 2-1 edge in their second contest of the day.

In the fourth, Howard came out to a quick 10-5 lead, forcing a timeout by the home side. But Bryant couldn't quiet the Bison, who easily upped their advantage to 13-7.

And while the score would indicate a closer battle, Howard kept a multi-point edge through the remainder of the match. Bryant was able to close the gap to just three, 20-17, before falling, 25-21, to drop the contest, 3-1.

Scocca and Stoner each recorded double-digit kills, with 15 and 10, respectively, while D'Artois would pace the match with 18. She would register a double-double for the Bison, also chipping in 14 digs. Setter Jasmine King collected 27 assists, while Geonnotti and Fuertes split the setting duties for the home team to gather 24 and 16 helpers. Scocca led the Bulldogs with six blocks, all assists, while Montgomery's 10 blocks, also all assists, were a match high. Gardner led Bryant defensively, picking up a contest-best 23 digs.

The Bryant Invitational resumes Sunday, Sept. 27 with two final contests. Coppin State enters the mix Sunday, playing Howard at 10 a.m. before facing off against Bryant at 1 p.m.

Howard vs. Brown

The Brown University volleyball team came from behind late in the second and third sets to take a 3-0 victory over Howard University in the opening matchup of the 2009 Bryant Invitational Saturday morning.

Brown's Megan Toman led the game with 16 kills, 10 of them coming in the first set, which the Bears (4-7) took easily, 25-14.

But that wouldn't be the story in the second or third, as the Bison (2-17) held onto late 24-22 and 24-23 leads, only to eventually fall, 26-24, in both sets. Gazelle D'Artois recorded nine kills in the second set for Howard and 15 in total on the match, also pacing the Bison in the final set with five more kills. Brown libero Carly Cotton recorded four service aces on the day, three of them in the second set. The third of those aces put the Bears up, 25-24, in the second frame.

Brown would take the winning point in both of the final two sets off key blocks from Spencer McAndrews and Ann Cowell (set two) and Toman and Danielle Vaughan (set three).

Brown's Brianna Williamson recorded the match's only double-double (10 kills, 10 digs), while Howard's Taylor Montgomery collected a contest-high five blocks (1 solo, 4 assists).