October 17, 2009

BULLDOGS PLAY FOUR THIS WEEKEND; WATCH LIVE SATURDAY!

Live Stats / Saturday -- WATCH IT LIVE!

SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- The Bryant University volleyball team returns to the Chace Athletic Center for four conference matchups this weekend, hosting Long Island (4 p.m.) and Quinnipiac (7 p.m.) Saturday before welcoming St. Francis (NY) (1 p.m.) and Quinnipiac (4 p.m.) on Sunday.

WELCOME TO TODAY'S GAME
The Bulldogs return home after four-straight road contests to host back-to-back doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Bryant will open the weekend with a 4 p.m. matchup against Long Island University, followed by a 7 p.m. bout with Quinnipiac. The Bulldogs and the Bobcats will face off again on Sunday at 4 p.m., but not before Bryant takes on the Terriers of St. Francis (NY) at 1 p.m. All four matches are conference bouts and all will take place at the Chace Athletic Center, where the Bulldogs look for their first home win in conference action.

LAST TIME OUT
The Bulldogs earned their first conference win since being included in the league standings prior to the 2009 season with a 3-0 victory over Saint Francis (PA) on the road last Sunday. Bryant got a match-high 12 kills from sophomore Maria Scocca, while classmate Jazmin Stoner chipped in nine kills of her own. Adriana Fuertes's 16 assists were a team high for Bryant, while Julie Geonnotti, Robyn Gardner and Jadith Lorenzo each collected eight digs to pace the visitors defensively. Bryant took the win in straight sets, 25-16, 25-22, 25-23, to move to 1-2 in NEC play this season.

LEADING THE BULLDOGS
A pair of sophomores have led the Black and Gold to its 6-15 record this season, both having recorded over 200 kills on the year. Sophomore Maria Scocca has proven to be the Bulldogs' biggest offensive threat, posting a team-high 267 kills (3.47 k/s) and a team-best .310 hitting percentage. Jazmin Stoner has registered 205 kills of her own on her sophomore campaign (2.66 k/s) and boasts a .173 attack percentage. Three more Bulldogs - Julie Geonnotti, Adrienne Boss and Macy Mitravich - all have over 100 kills so far in 2009. On defense, the big blocking of Scocca (98tb; 13s, 85ba) has rubbed off on rookie Emily Kaup, who is second of the team with 49 total stuffs (1 solo, 48 assists). Geonnotti and Boss are also strong at the net, with 41 and 39 blocks, respectively. Adriana Fuertes paves the way as one of the team's three quarterbacks, registering a squad-best 335 assists so far on the season. Geonnotti has also excelled at the setter position, with 296 helpers, while frosh Jadith Lorenzo is starting to step in and has 50 assists in just five matches played. Four Bulldogs have over 100 digs, but junior Robyn Gardner leads them all with 352.

CAREER UPDATE
Less than two years into her collegiate career, middle hitter Maria Scocca is already making her mark on the Bulldog record books. Through the season's first 21 games, she already ranks 20th on the all-time kills list (610), 13th in total blocks (225) and ninth in all-time block assists (188), and those are just her career marks. Senior Julie Geonnotti is also poised to leave her own prints on the program, currently sitting at No. 10 in all-time assists (517), 14th for total career points (990.0) and 19th in total sets played (452). Adriana Fuertes also has a career mark, ranking 13th all-time in career assists (369).

CAN'T MAKE IT TO THE GAME?
Bryant University Athletics is excited to announce its partnership with Pack Network, who will be providing an industry-leading video streaming solution for more than 50 home contests during the 2009-10 athletic season. Live event productions will include multiple camera angles, an on-screen scoreboard and state-of-the-art graphics. Fans can purchase an all-acess pass for $75, giving subscribers the opportunity to watch not only all the live coverage of Bryant sporting events, but also access to premium content not available to the public. Single-game subscriptions may also be purchased for each live event throughout the season for $5.95. Visit www.bryantbulldogs.tv for more information and a schedule of covered events.

UP NEXT
Bryant plays a pair of road contests before returning to the Chace Athletic Center for its final homestand of the 2009 season. The Bulldogs will travel to Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday, Oct. 24 for a 2:00 p.m. matchup and will turn around to take on Sacred Heart on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 1:00 p.m. in Connecticut.