ALBANY, N.Y. – The Bryant volleyball team dropped a thrilling five-set match to the UAlbany Great Danes on Sunday afternoon. The Bulldogs won the first two sets but were unable to close out the match, with the Great Danes completing the reverse sweep.
Match Information
Final: UAlbany 3, Bryant 2
Records: Bryant (13-10, 4-2 America East), UAlbany (12-9, 5-2 America East)
Location: PE Gym, Albany, N.Y.
COACH GARLACY'S COMMENTS
"Today's match was a hard-fought battle where the home team came out the winner. We were very dynamic offensively but the UAlbany defense out scrapped us. This was a very competitive matchup."
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- SET 1 – Bryant pulled ahead 13-9 with Kaitlin Curran and Arianna Ugolini each pounding a pair of kills. The Bulldogs then went up 17-12 off a kill from Brookelyn Talmadge and an ace from Claudia Camacho-Castro. Middle blockers London Hunt and Brookelyn Talmadge combined for four kills, along with Ruth Ochelli and Arianna Ugolini each recording one to put Bryant up 24-19. The Great Danes were able to stay alive however, rattling off three straight points to trail 24-22. Ruth Ochelli closed out the set by smashing a kill to give Bryant the 25-22 first set victory.
- SET 2 – The Bulldogs had another strong start in the second set, racing out to a 13-10 lead as Arianna Ugolini and Brookelyn Talmadge continued to drive Bryant's offense. Talmadge piled up a trio of kills and Ugolini chalked up a pair of kills and an ace. Bryant stretched their lead to 18-14, with Ugolini tallying two more kills, forcing a UAlbany timeout. Despite a pushback from the Great Danes, it wasn't enough to contain the Bulldogs as Ugolini thundered a trio of kills to polish off the second set 25-21.
- SET 3 – The Great Danes got a much-needed start, jumping out to an 11-6 lead and forcing a Bulldogs timeout. Bryant countered by going on an impressive 9-6 run led by five kills from Arianna Ugolini, trimming the deficit to 17-15 and forcing a UAlbany timeout. as UAlbany responded by padding their lead to 22-18, prompting another Bryant timeout. The Bulldogs had their backs against the wall trailing 24-18, but rattled off five straight points, highlighted by a kill and an ace from Kaitlin Curran to trail 24-21, forcing a Great Danes timeout. The late push wasn't enough however, with UAlbany taking the third set 25-23.
- SET 4 – Bryant took the early 7-3 lead with Kaitlin Curran and Carrina Barron each recording an ace. UAlbany countered by going on an impressive 14-6 run to take the 17-13 lead and force a Bryant timeout. The momentum carried over after the timeout for the Great Danes, going on a 4-0 run and causing the Bulldogs to burn their final timeout of the set. Bryant stayed alive by going on a 3-0 run led by a kill from London Hunt and an ace from Kaitlin Curran to trail 21-16, prompting a UAlbany timeout. The Great Danes took care of business by winning the next three points to seal the third set 25-17 and force a deciding fifth set in the match.
- SET 5 – The Bulldogs claimed the 5-4 lead with Arianna Ugolini pounding a pair of kills and Brookelyn Talmadge adding another. The Great Danes answered with a 9-3 run to take the 13-8 lead. Bryant stayed alive by rattling off a 5-0 run, sparked by four kills from London Hunt to tie the score at thirteen a piece. Despite the impressive comeback from the Bulldogs, the Great Danes won the final two points to complete the reverse sweep.
STATS
MATCH NOTES
- Arianna Ugolini now has five games with 20+ kills this season. She recorded her seventh double-double of the season, posting 23 kills and 10 digs.
- Madison Koeller now has two games this season with 50+ assists. She recorded her eighth double-double of the season, posting 51 assists and 12 digs.
- Kaitlin Curran recorded a career-high 15 digs.
- Carrina Barron now has six games with 20+ digs this season.
NEXT UP
The Black and Gold return home on Friday, taking on UNH on Halloween night (Oct. 31). First serve is at 7:00 PM.
