August 26, 2006

VOLLEYBALL READY FOR FIRST DIVISION I SEASON; SET TO KICK OFF NEW ERA THIS WEEKEND

SMITHFIELD, RI -- When it comes to success on the court, few have played the game of volleyball better than Bryant University.

Now, in 2008, the Bulldogs will get their first chance to prove it to the NCAA's most elite competition - Division I.

Establishing itself as one of the premier programs in not just the Northeast, but in all of Division II year after year, the Bulldogs back up their claim with a laundry list of accomplishments: five Northeast-10 Conference tournament titles to compliment five regular-season championships, 19 consecutive winning seasons, 13-straight years of all-region selections.

And in recent years, the list just gets more distinguished, to the tune of five All-Americans since 2004, a decade of NCAA tournament appearances and three NCAA regional finals since 2002.

But as the 2008 Bulldogs prepare to enter the 33rd season of volleyball at Bryant University, they stand in the face of a new and uncharted challenge at the Division I level.

And it just happens that 13th-year head coach Theresa Garlacy has put together exactly the right group to continue on with Bryant's celebrated winning ways.

In 2008, Garlacy welcomes back five starters and eight letterwinners ready and motivated to show the NCAA's Elite ranks exactly what the Bulldogs are capable of.

Garlacy, who sits at 344 career wins, looks to earn her 350th career victory in the 2008 Division I campaign, but will need to replace a pair of AVCA All-Americans to do so.

OUTSIDE HITTER
Returning to the Bulldogs in the outside hitter position this fall is junior Julie Geonnotti (St. Louis Park, Minn.). The two of a one-two punch in 2007, Geonnotti must now take over the lead, pairing up with any number of strong outside forces, from veterans such as senior Monika Sattler (Gruenwald, Germany) to DI-ready freshmen Hilary Andrews (Tipp City, Ohio) and Jazmin Stoner (Durango, Colo.), to fill the hole left by the graduation of 2007 senior and AVCA All-American Honorable Mention Likicia Grceva.

Add in the return of sophomore Sherika Nicholas (East Patchogue, N.Y.) to the mix in 2008 and Bryant finds itself not just deep in the outside role, but increasingly quick and athletic - a trait that will help the Bulldogs against the elite competition of a full Division I schedule.

MIDDLE HITTER
After an impressive bid in 2007 that earned her a Third Team All-Conference selection, junior middle hitter Morgan Wood (Cedar Park, Texas) returns to Smithfield, R.I. to defend her starting spot, but in another deep area for the Bulldogs, Wood will have to fend off another Northeast-10 Conference Third Teamer in sophomore Adrienne Boss (Dracut, Mass.). Boss led the team in blocks last season with 151 (12 solo, 139 block assists) and averaged a team-high 1.06 blocks per game. She also finished 2007 third in both kills (301) and points (392.5). Wood, who is coming off of injury, also put up team-leading numbers last season, totaling 299 kills (No. 4), 125 blocks (No. 2) and 404.5 points (No. 2).

But both returnees will have to compete with the 6-2 force that is incoming rookie Maria Scocca (Melrose, Mass.), who looks to compete for a starting spot right away.

SETTER
The other huge loss for the Bulldogs from the 2007 season is the graduation of three-time Northeast-10 Setter of the Year and AVCA All-American Honorable Mention Tiffany Garry.
But new starting setter sophomore Miranda Kolb (Holt, Mich.) will bring everything she learned from a year under Garry and more to the Bryant court when she returns in 2008. At 6 feet tall, Kolb is the tallest setter in Bulldog history, and will use her height and agility to run the offense as the quarterback of the team.

DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST
The home to both 2008 captains, the Bulldogs appear more than solid in the back row with the the return of seniors Maureen Atkins (Fenton, Mo.) and Delia Glover (Marston Mills, Mass.). In a role where passing is key, Atkins, a 2008 co-captain with Glover, will use her lightning fast skills and instincts at the defensive specialist position to key the Bryant offense and back up her 2007 Third Team All-Conference selection. Atkins led the team in digs, with  601, and totaled 50 service aces in last season's campaign.

One of the team's top passers, Glover came up with 542 digs and 51 service aces as a junior.

Adding to the Bulldogs' defensive depth, will be sophomore Robyn Gardner (Longwood, Fla.), who will round out the lineup and look to provide a strong defensive presence, as well.

THE SCHEDULE
But Garlacy could get wins 345-347 as early as this weekend, as the Bulldogs open up their Division I campaign in Annapolis, Md. at the Trident Classic hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy. Bryant will take on the University of South Carolina-Upstate in their first DI match on Friday, August 29 (4 p.m.), and will close out the tournament against host Navy (10 a.m., Sunday, August 31) and future conference-mate Saint Francis (N.Y.) (3 p.m., Sunday).

Bryant continues with an intense schedule upon returning from Annapolis, planning to take on teams from the America East (3 - Hartford, UNH and Stony Brook), the Ivy League (3 - Brown, Harvard and Dartmouth) and the Northeast Conference (4 - Sacred Heart, Wagner, Quinnipiac and Saint Francis (N.Y.)), among others, in September alone.

October holds a quartet of home games for the Bulldogs, as well as the Seattle Tournament in Seattle, Wash. on Oct. 11 and 12, where Bryant will faceoff against three other NCAA Division I reclassifiers in Seattle University, the University of North Dakota and the University of South Dakota.

 Bryant wraps up its season in November with a trio of games against local rival Providence College, the New Jersey Institute of Technology amd Central Connecticut State University before ending its season in Smithfield, R.I., hosting the Transitions Challenge Tournament. The Bulldogs will face off again against Seattle, North Dakota and South Dakota, this time adding in Houston Baptist University as well.

Check back to www.bryantbulldogs.com for information, stories and updates on the Bulldog volleyball team and all of Bryant's 22 Division I varsity sports.

The full 2008 Bryant University volleyball schedule can be found below:

2008 Bryant Volleyball Schedule