Home Opener Set For Sept. 5 (7 pm) vs. Bryant

UNH VOLLEYBALL

Tuesday, Sept. 5
Bryant University (2-5) at UNH (1-6), 7 pm • Video • Stats

UNH vs. BRYANT

UNH has a 5-3 lifetime record, including 2-1 at home, against Bryant University. These teams have met annually since the 2009 season.
Last year, the Bulldogs defended home court with a straight-set victory.
- Sept. 6, 2016 • Chace Athletic Center • 25-20, 25-19, 25-21
- Recap • Box Score
UNH was a 3-1 victor the last time these teams met at Lundholm Gym.
- Sept. 8, 2015 • Lundholm Gym • 19-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-21
- Recap • Box Score

MICHIGAN INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT RECAP

UNH went 0-3 at the Michigan Invitational Tournament that was held Sept. 1-2 at Cliff Keen Arena.
Junior middle blocker and captain Gabri Olhava was selected to the All-Tournament Team. In the three matches, she recorded 22 kills with a .203 hitting percentage; Olhava's other stats included seven service aces, five digs and four blocks.
3-1 loss to Wisconsin-Green Bay • Recap • Box Score
3-0 loss to No. 19 Michigan • Recap • Box Score
3-1 loss to Butler • Recap • Box Score

NOTABLE NUMBERS AT MIT (Michigan Invitational Tournament)

Emma Patlovich, the reigning America East Rookie of the Week, recorded a career-high 36 assists vs. Wisconsin-Green Bay last Friday; one day later, Patlovich finished with a personal best of 12 digs against Butler as part of a double-double (24a, 12d) vs. the Bulldogs.
Kennedi Smith recorded her second double-double of the season with 14 kills and 13 digs vs. Butler.
Gabri Olhava recorded three service aces against both Wisconsin-Green Bay and Butler.

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

UNH enters Tuesday's match vs. Bryant University with a 1-6 overall record; the Wildcats have lost six consecutive matches since defeating College of the Holy Cross in straight sets in the Aug. 25 season opener.
New Hampshire has a 1-2 record in three-set matches and is 0-4 in matches decided by four sets; the 'Cats have not gone the distance into a fifth set yet this season.
Three of the first eight sets of the season were decided beyond 25 points; in each case, it was Set 1 of the match; the longest set is 56 points (27-29 vs. UConn); the past 17 sets have ended at 25 points.
UNH is averaging 11.60 kills per set on a .153 team hitting percentage; in comparison, the opponents' numbers are 13.12 kills/set at a .244 clip. The opposition has a 56-22 edge in blocks.
UNH Volleyball

PUT ME IN, COACH

Gabri Olhava is the only Wildcat who has played all 25 sets in seven matches.
Courtney Bowman, Emma Patlovich and Logan Welti have seen action in 24 of 25 sets.

TOP 'CATS

Kennedi Smith is UNH's leader in kills, with 74, and kills per set at 3.36; she is also atop the team leaderboard in points (84) and points/set (3.82).
Gabri Olhava has a team-best 11 blocks and is also No. 1 in service aces (10); she is second in kills (61), kills/set (2.44), points (78) and points/set (3.12).
Logan Welti has a team-high 106 digs and is averaging 4.42 per set.
Emma Patlovich is UNH's leader in assists, with 180, and assists/set (7.50).

FOR OPENERS

UNH has a 5-5 record the past 10 home openers and that includes two wins against Bryant – 2008 and 2015.

DEFENDING DURHAM

New Hampshire had 11 wins and just three losses in 14 matches at Lundholm Gym last season; that's a .786 win percentage.
During UNH's current stretch of four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, the Wildcats have a 41-12 home record (.774 win percentage).

LOOKING BACK AT 2016

Emily Tanski, a 2016 America East All-Conference First Team and All-Rookie Team selection, ranked second on the team in points and points per set, kills and kills per set, and assists last; Tanski also recorded a team-high 41 service aces. Defensively, she was third in digs and digs per set as well as fourth in blocks.
Tanski recorded 11 double-doubles, which ranked second.
Gabri Olhava, a 2016 America East All-Conference Second Team honoree, led all Wildcats in solo blocks, assisted blocks and total blocks, and was second in hitting percentage. Furthermore, Olhava was third in points and fourth in points per set as well as both kills and kills per set.
Kennedi Smith, another Wildcat on the 2016 All-Rookie Team, ranked third on the team in kills and kills per set as well as points per set, service aces and blocks.
Courtney Bowman ranked fifth on the squad in both kills and kills/set and points and points/set. She was fourth in digs and digs/set.
Hannah Petke emerged as an offensive weapon midway through her freshman year in '16 and she finished with a .235 hitting percentage that ranked third on the team.

READY TO ASSIST

The starting setter position will be inherited by either junior Mali Jereczek or freshman Emma Patlovich, both of whom were impressive in preseason.
The duo split the setting duties in the Aug. 25 season opener vs. Holy Cross and Sept. 2 at 19^th-ranked Michigan; Patlovich was the primary setter the other five matches.
Jereczek saw limited action last year with 13 sets played in nine matches; she averaged 3.23 assists and 1.15 digs per set.
Patlovich was a three-year captain and four-year starting setter at Lake Forest High School; as a senior, she averaged 8.7 assists per set with 80 service aces, 199 digs and 64 kills; Patlovich was named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2015 Junior Nationals.

FOUR-PEAT

UNH became the first team to win four consecutive America East tournament titles by winning the crown in 2013-14-15-16. The Wildcats have won seven titles overall, which is also an America East record.

ROARING 20's

UNH has won 20+ matches each of the past four years, and last year's 21 wins marked the highest total since the 2003 team had 23.
UNH head coach Jill Hirschinger has reached 20 wins 10 times at New Hampshire and 19 times in her 38 years overall.

HIRSCHINGER'S HISTORY

This is the 22^nd year as UNH head coach for Jill Hirschinger. She recorded her 750^th career victory when the Wildcats prevailed 3-1 at UMBC last October.
Of her 756 career wins, 347 have been at UNH's helm.
Hirschinger has been named America East Coach of the Year six times.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

Bryant University (Smithfield, R.I.) enters Tuesday's match at UNH with a 2-5 overall record that includes 0-1 on the road.
The Bulldogs lost all three matches at the BC Invitational this past weekend. They opened and closed the tourney with straight-set losses to North Texas and Princeton, respectively; Bryant fell in five sets to Boston College.
Kristin Kingi has a team-high 59 kills (2.36 kills/set) and she is third in digs with 68 (2.72/set).
Julia Flynn and Grace Richmeyer are two of the other top hitters. Flynn has 56 kills (2.95/set) and 66 digs (3.47/set) while Richmeyer has 50 kills (2.00/set) on a .273 hitting percentage; she also ranks third in blocks (12).
Brianna Bruny (16 blocks) and Kirstyn Sperry (14) rank 1-2 in blocks.
Sperry has a team-high 129 assists and Alisi Motu'apuaka is next with 76.
Erika Ward is atop the Bryant leaderboard in digs with 121 (4.84/set).
Bryant has a .144 team hitting percentage and is averaging 16.7 digs per set as well as 1.24 blocks per set.

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Players Mentioned

Courtney Bowman

Mali Jereczek

Gabri Olhava

Emma Patlovich

Hannah Petke

Kennedi Smith

Emily Tanski

Logan Welti