DURHAM, N.C. – The Bryant women's volleyball team put together a hard-fought effort against the Duke Blue Devils in its season opener on Friday night but fell short 3-1 in non-conference play to begin the 2025 campaign.
Game Information
Final: Duke 3, Bryant 1
Records: Bryant (0-1, 0-0 America East), Duke (1-0, 0-0 ACC)
Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, NC
COACH GARLACY'S COMMENTS
"An epic battle in Cameron Indoor tonight. We showed our true grit especially in set three where we battled off multiple set points to finally win the set."
"The defense was amazing led by
Carrina Barron and
Claudia Camacho-Castro and kept us in the match. Setters
Madison Koeller and
Madison Keem were on point and
Ana Fuertes-Brito stepped up on the outside.
Arianna Ugolini was on fire from the front and the back row. This was a great test for us."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- SET 1 – Bryant struggled to get off to a fast start as Duke grabbed the 10-6 lead. The Bulldogs got some much-needed momentum from Ana Fuertes-Brito who pounded a kill and from Arianna Ugolini who fired a kill to cut the deficit to 12-8. They pulled within one to make it 14-13 as Lea Mackey tallied a kill and Arianna Ugolini notched back-to-back kills. The Bulldogs pulled within one once more as Nina Gavin punched home a kill to make it 16-15 Duke. The resilience from the Bulldogs paid off as they tied the score at 18 a piece off a bad set from the Blue Devils. However, Duke finished off the first set strong and closed it out with a 7-2 run to take the 1-0 lead. Ana Fuertes-Brito finished the first set with 4 kills and Arianna Ugolini finished with 3.
- SET 2 – Duke started off strong yet again, getting off to an 8-5 lead to open the set. The Bulldogs battled back and rallied for two consecutive points as Brookelyn Talmadge smashed a kill, and combined for a block with Lea Mackey to cut the deficit to 11-8. Duke then went on a 5-1 run to take a 16-9 lead, prompting a Bryant timeout. The timeout brought the Bulldogs to life as they went on a 9-5 run capped off by a kill from Ana Fuertes-Brito to pull within three, making it 21-18 Duke. Then, they went on a 5-2 run to tie the game at 23 capped off by back-to-back kills from Arianna Ugolini, forcing a Duke timeout. The Blue Devils took care of business shortly after and closed out the second set winning 25-23. Through two sets, Arianna Ugolini led the team in kills with 9 and Ana Fuertes-Brito trailed her with 6. Madison Koeller led the team with 9 assists and Madison Keem tallied 7 assists.
- SET 3 – Both teams traded punches to begin the third set as Duke took the 6-5 lead. Bryant tied the score at 10 a piece later in the set as Ruth Ochelli notched back-to-back kills. The Bulldogs then went on to take a 15-12 lead as the Blue Devils piled up 3 consecutive attack errors. The attack continued from Bryant as Maeve Voltz powered home a kill and Lea Mackey thundered a kill to give the Bulldogs the 17-16 lead. However, Duke bounced back and scored two straight points to take the 18-17 lead and force a Bryant timeout. The Blue Devils continued to attack as they took a 21-19 lead. The Bulldogs stayed resilient as they battled back to take the 25-24 lead as Ana Fuertes-Brito tallied back-to-back kills to put the Bulldogs in front. Neither team could pull in front as they traded points in a marathon third set. It finally came to an end as Arianna Ugolini hammered a kill, and Carrina Barron sealed it with a service ace to give the Bulldogs the 35-33 third set victory and stay alive in the match.
- SET 4 – Both teams continue to battle back-and-forth to start the fourth set, jumping out to an 8-8 tie. Duke was off to the races after that, going on an 11-6 run to take a 19-14 lead over Bryant. The Bulldogs wouldn't quit easily as kills from Arianna Ugolini and Lea Mackey kept them afloat, but Duke took the 23-18 lead and never looked back, finishing off the fourth set 25-18 and earning the victory.
STATS
MATCH NOTES
- The Bulldogs and Blue Devils were meeting for the first time in program history.
- Madison Koeller's 27 assists were a career high. It's the 10th time she's recorded at least 20 assists in a game in her career.
- Arianna Ugolini has now reached double-digit kills 18 times in her career as she tallied 17 tonight.
NEXT UP
The Bulldogs are back in action tomorrow afternoon (Aug.30) to take on FIU in Durham. First serve is at 2:00 PM.
