Volleyball Hosts Bryant in Home Opener Tuesday on ESPN+

Tuesday, September 18

Providence, RI

7:00 PM

Brown University

Bryant

Volleyball Hosts Bryant in Home Opener Tuesday on ESPN+

9/17/2018 4:43:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown University volleyball hosts Ocean State rival Bryant University in its home opener at the Pizzitola Sports on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+.

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THE IVY LEAGUE ON ESPN
Video of all home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe and view games by purchasing a monthly package for $4.99 or a yearly package for $49.99.

LAST WEEKEND
Brown went 2-1 for the third time in as many tournament weekends to open the year, earning comeback wins over Chicago State (3-2) and Stetson (3-1) at the Stetson Invitational. Senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) led the Bears at the tournament with 51 kills (3.92 per set) while sophomores Eliza Grover (Menlo Park, Calif.) and Tylin Stiller (Evergreen, Colo.) each garnered All-Tournament Team accolades.

STILLWELL'S START
Senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) leads the Ivy League with 4.57 kills per set. Through the season's first six matches, she has posted 20 or more kills five times and tallied seven double-doubles. She landed a season-high 26 kills vs. Niagara (Sept. 8) and has posted double-doubles in five straight matches.

TEAM STATS
As a team, Brown ranks first in the Ivy League in hitting percentage (.243), kills per set (13.97), and assists per set (12.70). The Bears have limited opponents to 11.32 kills per set, ranking second in the Ancient Eight.

ALL-TOURNAMENT ACCOLADES
Senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and freshman Kristin Sellers (Menlo Park, Calif.) both earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Friar Classic while Stillwell and junior Jacqueline Jacobs (Atlanta, Ga.) both gained All-Tournament accolades at the Hartford Invitational. Sophomores Eliza Grover (Menlo Park, Calif.) and Tylin Stiller (Evergreen, Colo.) each garnered All-Tournament Team plaudits at the Stetson Invitational.

At the Friar Classic, Stillwell recorded 50 kills (4.55 per set), 39 digs (3.55 per set), and a pair of double-doubles, and Sellers tallied 103 assists (9.36 per set), 37 digs (3.36 per set), and two double-doubles at the tournament. At the Hartford Invitational, Stillwell registered 20 or more kills in all three matches, finishing the tournament with 5.23 kills per set.

SELLERS EARNS IVY ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Freshman Kristin Sellers (Menlo Park, Calif.) gained Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors on Sept. 17 after helping lead the Bears to a 2-1 record at the Stetson Invitational. Sellers tallied 117 assists (9.00 per set), 40 digs (3.08 per set), and two double-doubles on the weekend. She compiled 52 assists and 18 digs in a comeback 3-2 win over Chicago State and contributed 38 assists and 15 digs in a 3-1 win over Stetson.

STILLWELL WINS IVY PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) earned Ivy League Player of the Week honors on Sept. 10 after leading the Bears to a 2-1 record at the Hartford Invitational. She recorded 68 kills (5.23 per set) on .321 hitting and 35 digs (2.69 per set) on the week, earning All-Tournament Team accolades for the second straight week. She tallied 20 or more kills in all three matches with a pair of double-doubles.

IVY RANKINGS
Senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) leads the Ivy League with 4.57 kills per set while sophomore Eliza Grover (Menlo Park, Calif.) ranks eighth with 2.71 kills per set. Freshman Kristin Sellers (Menlo Park, Calif.) ranks third in the league in assists per set (10.14).

Junior Jacqueline Jacobs (Atlanta, Ga.) ranks fourth in the Ancient Eight in blocks per set (1.09), and freshman Paris Winkler (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) sits sixth in the conference with 3.51 digs per set.

THE FRIAR CLASSIC
Brown opened its 2018 season with victories over Fairleigh Dickinson (3-1) and UMass Lowell (3-0) before battling host Providence College in a 3-1 setback at the Friar Classic. In the Bears' opening contests under first-year head coach Ahen Kim, senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and freshman Kristin Sellers (Menlo Park, Calif.) both earned All-Tournament Team honors.

THE HARTFORD INVITATIONAL
Brown went 2-1 at the Hartford Invitational (Sept. 8-9), topping Niagara (3-1) and Bucknell (3-1) to close the tournament. Senior Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and junior Jacqueline Jacobs earned All-Tournament Team honors with Stillwell finishing the tournament with 68 kills (5.23 per set) and 35 digs (2.69 per set).

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Bryant brings a 9-6 record into Tuesday's meeting, coming off a 1-2 weekend at the Stony Brook Invitational. Julia Flynn (3.43 kills per set) and Caroline Kennedy (3.11 kills per set) pace the team's offense while Erika Ward (4.21 digs per set) leads the squad's defense. In a mid-week match-up last week, Bryant topped Providence, 3-2, on Sept. 11.

THE CAPTAINS
Brown's three seniors – Elisa Merten (Woodside, Calif.), Courtney Palm (St. Louis, Mo.), and Sabrina Stillwell (Laguna Beach, Calif.) – will captain the Bears in 2018. Combined the trio has played in over 200 career matches and over 730 career sets entering the 2018 season.

THE NEWCOMERS
The Bears' six-member Class of 2022 includes middle blocker Olivia Dukat (Roswell, Ga.), right-side hitter Morgan Grasch (Montalba, Texas), outside hitter Catherine Mihm (Rolling Hills, Calif.), libero/defensive specialist Ashley Oelrich (Newberry, Fla.), setter Kristin Sellers (Menlo Park, Calif.), and libero/defensive specialist Paris Winkler (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.).

NEW YEAR, NEW STAFF
The Bears will feature a new coaching staff in 2018 as head coach Ahen Kim enters his first season with the program. Kim helped lead American University to five straight Patriot League titles and three NCAA tournament wins as an assistant coach from 2012-17. He has two first-year assistant coaches in Katie Reifert and Aubrey Marsellis.

GIBBS '06 WINS SILVER AT OLYMPICS
Since the Bears last took the court, volleyball alumna Lauren Gibbs '06 won an Olympic silver medal in women's bobsled at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. Gibbs became Brown's first female medalist at the winter Olympics outside of the sport of women's ice hockey.

UP NEXT
After facing Bryant, Brown hosts Yale in its Ivy League opener on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 2:00 p.m. (ESPN+).