SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant women’s volleyball team returns to action this week, beginning its 2024 season in Boca Raton at the FAU Invitational. The Bulldogs will begin their third season as members of the America East Conference.

In their first two seasons in the America East, the Bulldogs have posted identical results in 2022 and 2023: 6-4 in the conference and 19-12 overall. The Black and Gold enter this season ranked fourth in the America East preseason poll.

“One of our goals this season is to get better in all areas of the game,” said the second-year libero Carrina Barron“I see that everyone has improved since last season and the newcomers are also making us better and more competitive.

In the final stages of the 2023 season, Bryant reached a record of 7-2 and finished in fourth place. Their season ended when they lost in the conference semifinals to the eventual America East champion UMBC Retrievers.

Head coach Theresa Garlacy will have another talented core to call upon in her 29th season at the helm of the team. Garlacy ranks 14th in the NCAA for most wins among active Division I coaches. She enters the 2024 season just four wins away from her 600th victory in her illustrious career. This experienced team features all but two players from the previous season. When discussing the strengths of this special group, Garlacy emphasized cohesion and team chemistry, saying:

“If you can believe it, I think it’s even better than last season. The team plays selflessly in practice every day and even though we compete at almost every position, they are so supportive of each other. It’s a testament to the leadership of our team, our captains, our seniors and the competitive spirit they all have.”

The Bulldogs are also introducing four new recruits this fall. Garlacy praised them, saying:

“The freshmen are doing a great job of getting involved with all the other athletes on campus. They really mesh well with the team and adapt well to our system and the speed of the game.”

Last season, the Bulldogs welcomed seven new faces to the team. One of them was a second-grader and Nina Gavin. When asked how they all came together, Gavin said: “The fact that we’ve all worked together and built a bond will really help us in the final stages of the season. We worked hard in the spring and it really shows. We come back in the summer and we haven’t forgotten anything.”

Middle blocker

After collecting a total of 239.0 blocks last season, the Bulldogs will present a variety of options in 2024. Leading the Black and Gold will be second-year Brookelyn TalmadgeThe 2023 Conference All-Rookie selection led the team with 86 blocks last season and also scored 196 kills. Alongside her, senior Morgan Smith who scored 77 blocks in 29 games and London Hunt who finished 2023 with 64 rejections. Rounding out the blockers for Bryant are Nadine Abdat. Abdat finished 2023 with 32 blocks and carved out a significant role for herself late in the regular season, setting a career-high with five blocks at NJIT (11/5) and even finding significant playing time in the Bulldogs’ playoff matchup at UMBC.

Outside attacker

Bryant brings back two of the conference’s best offensive options in 2024 with Aubrey Lapour And Arianna Ugolini. The duo were selected to the first team by the America East last season after combining for over 750 kills. Lapour twice set a career-high 21 kills and posted double-digit kill totals in 21 of the Bulldogs’ 31 games. She also posted 79 blocks this year. LaPour was named a Preseason All-Conference selection by the America East on Aug. 12. Ugolini shined in her first season in Smithfield after transferring from St. Francis Brooklyn. She posted 380 kills, 237 digs and 28 blocks and was named America East Player of the Week twice. Also returning to the Bulldogs is sophomore Grace Sorensen. In six games last season, Sorensen recorded 7 kills, 8 digs and 2 blocks. Two newcomers will also support Bryant on the outside position, as the team Katelyn Rossini And McKenna Collins.

Opposing bats

After missing most of last season due to injury, Fabian Castro returns to Smithfield for her fifth season. In her final full season in 2022, she appeared in all 31 matches and scored 10+ kills three times, including in consecutive matches against Boston College and Brown. After rehabbing in the spring and summer, Castro will be deployed at both pins for the Black and Gold in 2024. Junior Lea Mackey will also play an important role on the right side after arguably making the biggest improvement for the Black and Gold in 2023. In 22 games, she collected 69 kills, 34 blocks and 20 digs. Nina Gavin had a strong rookie season for the Bulldogs in 2023. She finished the season with 77 kills, 20 digs and 15 blocks in 25 games. Ana Fuertes-Brito will also return in 2024. She would appear in 4 of Bryant’s last 5 games and record 6 kills, 26 digs and 2 service aces. Freshmen Natalie Ricevuto rounds out this group for the 2024 team.

setter

After being named the new captain of the Bryant volleyball team, Carolina Camacho is the headliner of this group of setters for 2024. Last season, she became only the sixth player in Bryant’s Division I history to surpass 1,000 career assists. She was named America East Setter of the Week on 11/7 after she tallied 24 assists against Binghamton and a career-high 32 assists in the Bulldogs’ five-set win at NJIT. Madison Koeller also returns after a stellar first season in which she tallied 351 assists. She tallied double-digit assists in 20 of her 26 appearances last season. In Bryant’s five-set matchup against Providence, Koeller tallied a career-high 25 assists. The final set player for the Bulldogs is Melis Isik. She had 157 assists in 19 games last season, including a career-high 21 assists in Bryant’s sweep of Central Connecticut.

Sweeper

After the departure of Josie DelugaThe black and gold team will hand over the reins to two younger players. Carrina Barron showed incredible potential as a defensive specialist last season, appearing in all 31 games and collecting 188 saves. She would record a career-high 17 saves in Providence in 2023. Joining Barron is our last freshman, Claudia Camacho-Castrothe sister of Carolina Camacho.

service

Last season, the Bulldogs led the America East in service aces per set with an average of 1.98 and a total of 236. This represents a notable improvement after finishing 4th overall in 2022. Arianna Ugolini led the 2023 conference with a total of 48 aces (0.42/s). Behind her is Carrina Barron who also finished in the top five of the conference in his category with a total score of 42. Carolina Camacho And Morgan Smith also proved to be valuable pieces, as they each had 28 aces. The remaining members of the team who scored an ace are Madison Koeller (18), Melis Isik (13), Ana Fuertes-Brito (2) Grace Sorensen (1) and Fabian Castro (1).

The Bulldogs will also face Ball State and Seton Hall in the FAU Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla. Bryant will then host Stonehill for its home opener at Chace Athletic Center on Sept. 4.