Volleyball met with challenges at the Hartford Invitational
September 13, 2018
The Bison volleyball team won one match and lost two this past weekend at the Hartford Invitational, bringing their overall record to 5-4.
During the first match, the Bison played a clean 3-0 sweep over Niagara University. In the opening match, Sophie Bullard ’20 and Bridgette Holland ’20 combined for 22 kills. Holland had 10 kills with a .600 hitting average, while Bullard had 12 kills for a .458 hitting average. Overall, the team hit at a .398 average.
The Orange and Blue had eight aces over the course of the first match, with three each from Alexa Bonanno ’21 and Brooke Stark ’20 and one each from Mimi Richards ’20 and Blake Buchholz ’19. Bonanno added 26 assists while teammate Stark collected 14 digs.
“Even when we were behind in a set, we never gave up on the game,” Buchholz said. “We pursued every ball, extended rallies, and found ways to score in order to win the match.”
The Bison failed to pull out a win against Hartford University, losing in three straight sets. After taking the lead 24-22 in the first set, the Orange and Blue lost four straight points to drop the set. Jennie Burke ’22 led the Bison with eight kills while Richards and Bullard each finished with seven. Buchholz and Holland each had six kills and Bonanno finished with 26 assists.
In the final match of the invitational, the Bison fell to Brown University. Richards finished with 10 kills and a .588 hitting average on 17 attacks. She currently leads the Patriot League in blocks per set (1.45) and is fifth in hitting percentage (.370). Buchholz added 11 kills for the Orange and Blue while Bullard and Holland added eight each. Bullard also had 15 digs, while Bonanno had 30 assists.
As a result of Richards’ strong efforts, she was named to the All-Tournament Team for the third straight week.
“We know what we need to work on, and we are ready to put in the work to have a successful season,” Richards said.
The Bison will next play in Akron, Ohio, on Sept. 15 at the Zips Invitational where they will play Youngstown State University, Akron University, and Iona University.
