SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University volleyball team returns to Northeast Conference play this weekend as it hosts Sacred Heart and Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday and Sunday at the Chace Athletic Center.
The Bulldogs (4-15, 1-1 NEC) are currently tied for third place in the league standings after one weekend of play, while the Pioneers (8-6, 2-0) are tied for first, and the Knights (1-14, 0-2) are in last place. Last season, the Black and Gold went 2-1 against the Knights and 0-2 against the Pioneers.
Bryant enters the weekend with back-to-back wins thanks to a 3-0 victory over Dartmouth on Tuesday night at home. The Black and Gold were paced by a match-high 15 kills from sophomore Claire Van Dyk (New Richmond, Wis.) and outstanding effort from junior Elena Lohr (Loveland, Ohio) that included 14 kills and nine digs.
With the victory on Tuesday, the Bulldogs are now 4-4 over their last eight matches. Van Dyk has put together an outstanding season so far for the Black and Gold, leading the team with 184 kills and placing second with 142 digs. Sophomore Jana Kmec (Stratford, Conn.) leads the team with 530 assists, including a 40-assist performance on Tuesday that represented the third time this year she has produced at least 40 assists in a match.
Sacred Heart enters the weekend on the heels of three-straight victories, including a weekend sweep of Saint Francis U. and Robert Morris last weekend. The Pioneers are led by Sarah Krufka's 167 kills and Ana Gonzalez's 197 digs. Freshman Kiki Robinson has stepped right into the setter role, leading the team with 530 assists.
The Knights have struggled out of the gates in 2013, starting the year 1-14. FDU dropped its first 12 games before grabbing a victory over NJIT on Sept. 18. The Knights fell to Robert Morris (3-0) and Saint Francis (3-2) in their first weekend of conference play. Violeta Slabakova leads the team with 153 kills, Deborah Hong has a team-best 191 digs and Allison Butler leads the way with 432 assists.
Both matches are scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
