PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Bryant women's volleyball team picked up its first win of the season against URI on Friday morning, beating them in four sets. Then, the Bulldogs faced off against Providence, winning a five-set thriller to sweep the day and finish the Ocean State Cup with a 2-1 record, tying Brown and Providence in the tournament.
The Bulldogs' win over the Friars at Alumni Hall marked their first win in that arena since 2018, where they also won in five sets.
Arianna Ugolini was selected to the All-Tournament Team, posting a double-double against URI with 21 kills and 10 digs and tallying 19 kills against Providence.
Game Information
Final: Bryant 3, URI 1
Records: Bryant (1-4, 0-0 America East), URI (2-3, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Location: Alumni Hall, Providence, RI
COACH GARLACY'S COMMENTS
"This morning our setters ran a great tempo and created open seams for our hitters. Aggressive serving by
Kaitlin Curran,
Claudia Camacho-Castro, and
Madison Keem kept our opponent out of system and gave us a lot of easy points."
"Pin hitters
Kaitlin Curran and
Arianna Ugolini used all the shots in their toolbox, making it very difficult to defend them."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- SET 1 – London Hunt started the match on fire for the Bulldogs, rattling off back-to-back kills and Arianna Ugolini who added a kill and a service ace to go up 8-5. Bryant pulled ahead 14-11, highlighted by a pair of kills from Brookelyn Talmadge and another from Kaitlin Curran to take the 14-11 lead and force a URI timeout. The momentum for the Bulldogs carried over after the Rams timeout. They used consecutive kills by Lea Mackey to take the 18-11 lead, and never looked back, cruising to a 25-12 first set victory.
- SET 2 – Bryant jumped out to a 9-2 lead, highlighted by a trio of kills from Arianna Ugolini and a pair of service aces from Claudia Camacho-Castro, prompting a URI timeout. Back-to-back service aces from Madison Keem gave the Bulldogs a commanding 13-3 lead. Bryant then stretched their lead to 20-9 as Brookelyn Talmadge smashed a kill. Arianna Ugolini and London Hunt finished off the set for the Bulldogs as Ugolini tallied two kills and Hunt added three to power Bryant to a 25-13 win and go up 2-0 in sets.
- SET 3 – The Rams got a much-needed hot start in the third set, racing out to a 7-3 lead and forcing a Bryant timeout. The Bulldogs came alive after the timeout, cutting the deficit to 11-9. They eventually tied the score at 16 apiece, powered by kills from Lea Mackey and Arianna Ugolini and capped off by a service ace from Claudia Camacho-Castro. It became a back-and-forth battle as the Rams pulled ahead 22-19, forcing a Bryant timeout. URI held onto their lead and stayed alive in the match with a 25-22 third set victory.
- SET 4 – Bryant pulled ahead 6-1 to open the set, highlighted by kills from Kaitlin Curran and Brookelyn Talmadge, prompting a URI timeout. The Bulldogs then went on a 10-4 run to take a commanding 16-5 lead, powered by a pair of kills from Nina Gavin and Kaitlin Curran. Bryant continued to dominate in the third set as they took a 23-10 lead courtesy of a pair of kills recorded by Arianna Ugolini. The Bulldogs then sealed the victory with a 25-13 win in the fourth set to win the match 3-1.
STATS
MATCH NOTES
- Today marked the first time Bryant has won the first set in a match this season.
- Madison Keem picked up her first career double-double with 16 assists and 10 digs.
- Arianna Ugolini recorded her second double-double of the season, tallying 21 kills and 10 digs.
- Madison Koeller has surpassed 20+ assists in a game twice this season.
Game Information
Final: Bryant 3, Providence 2
Records: Bryant (2-4, 0-0 America East), Providence (3-3, 0-0 Big East)
Location: Alumni Hall, Providence, RI
COACH GARLACY'S COMMENTS
"What a great team effort in this battle tonight. It's been a while since we've won on this court. Team blocking effort was substantial and forced Providence to change their shots.
"The liberos were on point with their serve-receive and the setters ran such a fast tempo that we were very difficult to defend. Great character-building match."
HOW IT HAPPENED
- SET 1 – The Friars raced out to a 7-1 lead as the Bulldogs struggled to counter the potent Friars attack, forcing a Bryant timeout. The timeout ignited a spark for the Bulldogs, as they battled to take the lead 11-10 off a service ace from Carrina Barron. Bryant then went on an impressive 9-4 run to take the 20-13 lead, ignited by kills from Nina Gavin, Kaitlin Curran, and Lea Mackey. The Bulldogs utilized a pair of kills from Arianna Ugolini and London Hunt along with a kill from Kaitlin Curran to win the first set 25-20.
- SET 2 – Bryant pulled ahead 10-5 courtesy of a service ace from Madison Keem. The Bulldogs then stretched their lead to 14-8, getting back-to-back kills from Kaitlin Curran and Arianna Ugolini. The Friars fought back however, going on a 14-6 to come from behind and go up 22-20. Kaitlin Curran provided the firepower the Bulldogs needed as she tallied a pair of kills and Arianna Ugolini capped it off by hammering a kill to give Bryant the 26-24 second set win.
- SET 3 – The momentum carried over into the third set for the Bulldogs as they jumped out to an 8-5 lead, highlighted by a kill from Ruth Ochelli. However, the Friars went on a 9-3 run to go in front 14-11 and force a Bryant timeout. The Bulldogs then got a pair of kills from Arianna Ugolini and one from Maeve Voltz to cut the deficit to 19-16. Bryant got a late push from Maeve Voltz who continued to thrive as she chalked up a pair of kills, and Brookelyn Talmadge and Kaitlin Curran each added another as they trailed 21-19. The push wasn't enough however as the Friars finished off the third set, winning it 25-20 and forcing a fourth set.
- SET 4 – The seesaw battle continued in the fourth set, with the Friars pulling ahead 10-7. The Bulldogs pulled within one as Arianna Ugolini fired back-to-back kills to cut the deficit to 14-13. The Friars were able to respond however as they went on a 9-4 run to take the 23-17 lead, and sealing the victory 25-18.
- SET 5 – The two interstate rivals finished off this instant classic with a dramatic fifth set. The match continued to be a stalemate as the Friars inched ahead 8-7. A service ace from Arianna Ugolini proved to be a turning point in the set to give Bryant the 9-8 lead. Right after, head coach Theresa Garlacy won a coach's challenge for a point and Bryant capitalized off an attack error to take the 11-8 lead. The Bulldogs then used a kill from Arianna Ugolini and a service ace from Carrina Barron to go up 13-9. The Bulldogs then put the match away as Maeve Voltz tallied a kill and Kaitlin Curran delivered the knockout blow to seal the final set 15-10 and give the Bulldogs the win in five sets.
STATS
MATCH NOTES
- Kaitlin Curran recorded her first career double-double, posting 10 kills and 13 digs.
- Madison Koeller recorded 20+ assists in both games. She notched 21 against the Friars.
- Madison Keem recorded a career-high 26 assists.
NEXT UP
The Bulldogs await their home opener on Wednesday night (Sep.10). They square off against Holy Cross at 7:00 PM at the Chace Athletic Center.
