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Brown University
5-5
Central Conn. St.
7-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown | 25 | 25 | 17 | 25 | 3 |
| Central Connecticut | 19 | 20 | 25 | 22 | 1 |
Volleyball Wins CCSU Invitational, Smith Earns Tournament MVP
9/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Junior Payton Smith earned Tournament MVP honors as Brown University volleyball won the Central Connecticut State University Invitational behind wins over CCSU (3-1) and Hartford (3-0) on Saturday afternoon at Detrick Gymnasium.
The Bears (6-5) topped the host Blue Devils (7-5) in their first game of the day, 3-1 (25-19, 25-20, 17-25, 25-22), prior to beating the Hawks (0-14) in straight sets, 3-0 (25-16, 25-8, 25-13), and finishing the weekend 3-0 including a 3-0 victory over Holy Cross on Friday night.
Smith (Atherton, Calif.) finished the weekend with 37 kills (3.70 per set) on a .518 hitting percentage to go with 11 blocks. Twice over the three matches, she registered a top-five single-match hitting percentage in program history. She tied for second with a .900 hitting percentage vs. Holy Cross and tied for fourth with a .692 percentage vs. Hartford.
Freshman Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) also earned All-Tournament accolades, totaling 31 kills (3.10 kills per set) on .400 hitting over the weekend.
Next, Brown opens Ivy League play at defending conference champion Yale University on Friday at 7 p.m.
Match 1: Brown 3, CCSU 1 (25-19, 25-20, 17-25, 25-22)
Smith and freshman Stillwell combined for 34 kills and each hit .333 as Brown beat host CCSU, 3-1 (25-19, 25-20, 17-25, 25-22), in its first match of the day.
Smith (Atherton, Calif.) landed a match-high 19 kills to go with three blocks while Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) tallied 15 kills. Sophomore Casey Tierney (San Jose, Calif.) registered a season-high 10 kills, and freshman Courtney Palm (St. Louis, Mo.) added a team-best five blocks alongside four kills.
Defensively, sophomore libero Melissa Cairo (Hillsborough, Calif.) compiled a match-high 24 digs, and senior Shannon Frost (Santa Ana, Calif.) made 12 digs. At setter, junior Sarah Lucenti (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) dished out a season-high 31 assists, and senior Rachele Killian (Laguna Beach, Calif.) followed with 24 assists.
Both teams played within three points of one another in the first set until the Bears used a 4-1 burst to grab a 20-16 edge. CCSU pulled within 20-18, but Brown closed the set with a 5-1 run. Stillwell posted five kills in the set, including the frame's last two points, and Smith and Tierney each had four kills.
With set two tied at 13-13, the Bears won six of the next seven points to pull ahead at 19-14. The Blue Devils could cut their deficit no lower than three points the rest of the way. Smith paced the visitors in the stanza with six kills on seven swings and one error.
The Blue Devils countered in set three, staking themselves to a 14-7 advantage. Brown trimmed the margin to 18-15, but CCSU finished the set with a 7-2 run. Smith logged a team-high five kills in the period.
In set four, neither side gained a lead larger than two points until the Bears' seized a 22-18 edge with four straight points. CCSU responded with four consecutive points to tie the score, but Brown garnered the set and match victory, winning the last three points. Stillwell and Smith notched five and four kills respectively in the set while Cairo totaled 12 digs, half of her total for the match.
Match 2: Brown 3, Hartford 0 (25-16, 25-8, 25-13)
Smith registered a match-high nine kills on 13 attacks with no errors for a .692 hitting percentage as Brown topped Hartford, 3-0 (25-16, 25-8, 25-13), for the second time this season.
For the second time on the weekend, Smith recorded a top-5 program mark for single-match hitting percentage, tying for fourth with a .692 percentage. Against Holy Cross on Friday, she hit .900, tying for the second-best mark in program history.
As a team, the Bears hit .369 including hitting percentages of .424 in the first set and .414 in the third frame en route to the victory over the Hawks, a side which has won just four sets in 14 matches.
Sophomore Shirin Tooloee (San Jose, Calif.) posted seven kills while Frost logged seven kills and seven digs. Smith tacked on a team-high four blocks.
Cairo contributed a match-best 13 digs, and Lucenti and Killian handed out 14 and 13 assists apiece.
Brown opened set one with a 10-5 lead and continued to expand its lead throughout the frame after Hartford pulled within 11-9, finishing with a 25-16 victory.
In set two, Hartford remained within five points at 12-7 before the Bears closed the period with a 13-1 run. Frost served 10 consecutive times during the streak for Brown in the 25-18 win.
Brown captured a 14-6 lead in set three behind eight consecutive points. The Bears pushed their edge to 20-9 and finished the match with a 25-13 win in the frame.
The Bears also defeated Hartford in the team's season opener on Sept. 4.
