Links: Box Score (Match 1) |
Box Score (Match 2)
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Merrimack College women's volleyball team opened Northeast Conference (NEC) play on Monday night, playing two matches against Bryant University from the Chase Athletic Center on the Bulldogs' campus. Bryant won both the matches of the doubleheader in three sets.
The Basics
Score (Match 1): Bryant 3,
Merrimack 0 (25-14 | 25-7 | 25-13)
Score (Match 2): Bryant 3,
Merrimack 0 (25-12 | 25-14 | 25-8)
Records: Merrimack (0-4, 0-2 NEC) | Bryant (2-1, 2-0 NEC)
Location: Smithfield, R.I. | Chase Athletic Center
Set Breakdown (Match 1):
- Sophomore Maegan Hladick notched a kill and a block assist during a stretch that saw Merrimack win three of five points in the first set to climb within four points of Bryant, 11-7. From there, however, Bryant used a 14-7 run to close the opener to take a 1-0 lead in the match
- The Bulldogs won 12 of 15 points to start the second set, gaining control of the middle frame. Sophomore Taylor Vartanian registered two kills in the second game, while juniors Brooke Leestma and Natasha Vallis added kills themselves, but Bryant won the set to go up, 2-0
- Junior Sophie Meyers' kill in the third set started a 3-0 burst for the Warriors that brought the visitors within three points, 12-9. Bryant answered back though, using a 9-2 spurt to regain momentum, paving the way for a 25-13 set victory
Set Breakdown (Match 2):
- The team's traded points over the first eight of the first set, but then a 6-0 Bryant run gave the hosts a 10-4 lead. A 5-0 run later in the set created a nine-point disparity between the teams, 16-7, as Bryant went on to win the first game, 25-12
- A 5-1 run that featured kills for Meyers and Leestma as well as a block solo for junior Kayla Zinser gave Merrimack a 6-5 lead in the second set. With the score at 10-7, Vartanian notched consecutive kills as part of a 3-0 spurt to tie things up at 10-all. A couple points later, sophomore Taylor Sawyer hit a kill that kept the Warriors within one, 13-12, but the Bulldogs went on a 12-2 run from there to take the middle set
- Bryant closed the match out in the third set. The Warriors played their best towards the end of the set, when Merrimack won six of eight points that featured one kill each for freshman Ashley Gajdzik and Hladick
Notes & Notables
- Sophomore Quinn Kellogg totaled a team-high 11 assists over the two matches
- Senior Megan Larson totaled five digs in the first set while sophomore Taelyr Czech added seven in the second
- Vartanian enjoyed an effective attacking performance in the first half, posting a .667 hitting percentage via four kills on six attacks without an error
- Both Zinser and Sawyer made their season debuts for the Warriors
Up Next:
Merrimack will be off until next Tuesday, March 9, when the Warriors visit Central Connecticut State University for a pair of NEC matches in New Britain, Conn.
