Berry Leads Bears to 3-1 Win Over Providence

Providence, R.I. – The Brown volleyball team (1-0) kicked off the 2009 season with an impressive showing at Providence (3-5) on Wednesday night, downing the Friars 3-1. Freshman Christina Berry (Ladera Ranch, CA) turned in a sparkling debut, recording a double-double in her first collegiate game. Berry led the team with 18 kills, and added 18 digs, two aces, and two blocks.

The Bears looked to have all facets of the game working well on Wednesday, as their first experiment with the double-setter offense yielded two players with 18 or more assists. Rookie Bailey Wendzel (San Clemente, CA) led the way with 23, while sophomore Spencer McAndrews (Los Angeles, CA) added 18. Bruno also had three players with double digit digs, led by another freshman, Carly Cotton (Newport Beach, CA), who notched 20. Junior Megan Toman (Newport Beach, CA) also turned in a solid all-around game, recording 12 kills, eight digs, three aces, and a block assist.

Brown struggled slightly on offense in the first set, allowing Providence to take an early 1-0 lead with a 25-22 win in the opener. However, the Bears bounced back in the second set, evening the match at one apiece with a 25-22 win of their own. Bruno then turned in the most dominant game of the young season in the third, hitting .189 while allowing Providence to hit just .028, with seven errors against eight kills. After the Friars tied the game at 14-14, Brown went on an impressive 11-6 run to record a 25-20 win. The Bears then closed out the match with a 25-21 win to seal a 3-1 match victory.

Brown will be back in action on Thursday night, when they play their home opener against Bryant at 7:00 p.m.