Wildcats Begin Homestand Tuesday vs. Bryant

Bryant (0-3, 0-0 NEC) at New Hampshire (2-1, 0-0 AE)
Tuesday, Sept. 3 (7 p.m.) • Lundholm Gym • Durham, N.H.
AmericaEast.tv • Live stats • Tickets

PROMOTIONS

Dollar Dogs -- hot dogs cost just $1 at the concession stand
Team poster giveaway -- get a free team poster of your 2019 Wildcats and stay after the match for autographs (this is the first of three autograph sessions this season)

UNH vs. BRYANT

New Hampshire has an 8-3 record against Bryant University that includes 4-1 at home. The Wildcats have won each of the past two matchups and 6 of 7.
Last year at Chace Athletic Center (Smithfield, R.I.), UNH fought off match point in Set 3 and rallied to a five-set victory vs. the Bulldogs. • Recap • Box
The last time these teams met in Lundholm Gym (Sept. 5, 2017), the Wildcats won in straight sets (25-21, 25-23, 25-21). • Recap • Box

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE • Home Page • Schedule • Roster • Stats

UNH began a new era under new head coach Christopher Feliciano, who recorded a program-record 117 victories in his eight-year tenure at Rider University, this past weekend at the Army Invitational and the Wildcats returned home with a 2-1 record.
Feliciano is joined on the bench by assistant coach Ashley Tennant and graduate assistant Tiffany Verni.
New Hampshire returns seven players from last year's team that finished 12-15 overall and 8-4 in America East.
Included among the returning 'Cats is two-time America East All-Conference First Team selection Kennedi Smith.
UNH was picked fourth in the 2019 America East Volleyball Preseason Poll.

ARMY INVITATIONAL RECAP

New Hampshire went 2-1 at the Army Invitational, which was held at Gillis Field House on Aug. 31 & Sept. 1.

In the tourney opener on Saturday morning, UNH upended Rhode Island, 3-1, behind a double-double from Kennedi Smith (15 kills, 10 digs) and eight-block effort by Abby Sullivan. • Recap • Box

On Saturday evening,, Army West Point won in straight sets. • Recap • Box
UNH responded with a 3-1 win vs. Iona College on Sunday afternoon. Sullivan recorded a career-high 15 kills on a .652 hitting percentage. • Recap • Box

1,000 POINT MILESTONE

Senior outside hitter Kennedi Smith is on the verge of becoming the 17^th UNH Wildcat to record 1,000 career points. She enters Tuesday night's match with 990.

DIGGING IT

Senior libero Emily Tanski is No. 7 on the program's all-time digs leaderboard with 1,124. Ahead of her on the list is Jillian Ross at 1,207.

HOLLY YOUNG INVITATIONAL

New Hampshire welcomes Brown University, College of the Holy Cross and Seattle University to Lundholm Gymnasium for the Holly Young Invitational on Sept. 5-7.

THE CAPTAINS

The core group of five seniors includes captains Hannah Petke (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), Kennedi Smith (The Woodlands, Texas) and Logan Welti (Middleton, Wis.).
Smith ranked second on the team in both kills and digs with a team-high 12 double-doubles; the outside hitter was also second in points, third in blocks and fourth in service aces. In the conference, she ranked No. 9 in kills per set (2.82) and No. 8 in digs per set (3.16).
Smith's career numbers include 990 points, 848 kills and 767 digs; she could become just the third Wildcat to reach the 1,000-milestone in both kills and digs.
Petke, a right side hitter and former All-Conference Second Team honoree, ranks second among returning 'Cats in kills (162) and kills per set (2.38), as well as points (182) and points per set (2.68). After missing eight consecutive matches last September, she recorded a double-double – one of her three on the season – in her return to action.
Welti played all 105 sets a year ago and was the top 'Cat in service aces with 28; that total ranked second in America East. The outside hitter/defensive specialist also ranked third in both digs (246) and digs per set (2.34). Welti enters the year with 1,000 career digs on the horizon; she is currently at 738.

SENIORS

Emily Tanski and Jenny Weston are the other two seniors.
Tanski, a 2018 All-Conference Second Team honoree in her first year as libero, finished with a team-high 566 digs and average of 5.39 digs per set, both of which were tops in America East. She also tied for second on the squad in service aces (24) and was one of three Wildcats who played all 105 sets.
Weston, a defensive specialist, played in 23 of 27 matches and 73 sets in '18. Her stats included 100 digs (1.37 per set) and 14 service aces.

READY TO ASSIST

Junior setter Emma Patlovich – the lone junior on the roster – directed the 'Cat attack the past two years and was an America East All-Rookie Team selection in 2017.
Patlovich finished with nearly 1,000 assists (991) last year and ranked third in the conference in assists per set (9.91).
She also tied with Tanski for second on the team in service aces at 24, and ranked fourth in digs (199; 1.99 per set).
Patlovich played every match and 100 of 105 sets, and she tallied seven double-doubles (assists-digs).
Patlovich and freshman setter Wren Macaulay split time at the Army Invitational last weekend. Patlovich finished with 50 assists (4.55 per set) and Macaulay had 39 (3.55 per set).

ALSO RETURNING

Sophomore middle blocker Abby Sullivan appeared in 13 matched and played 25 sets as a rookie. She recorded 27 kills (1.08 per set) on a .232 hitting percentage and also had 17 blocks (0.68 per set).
Sullivan had a breakout weekend at the Army Invitational with a career-high eight blocks against URI and personal-best 15 kills (with no errors) on a .652 hitting percentage vs. Iona.

THE NEWCOMERS

Among UNH's seven newcomers is sophomore outside hitter Kate Bilyeu, who was a 2018 America East All-Rookie Team selection at UMass Lowell. She played all 26 matches at UML and led the Rivers Hawks in kills (195) and kills per set (2.19).
Holly Bentley is a setter/hitter who began training with England's national team when she was 14 years old. She has competed at the U19 NEVZA the past two years and placed fourth in '17.
Hannah Crist was named to the AAU All-America Team, Indiana All-Star Team, Academic All-State First Team, All-County First Team and All-Conference First Team as a senior middle blocker/right side hitter at Hamilton Heights High School.
Erin Hedrick was named All-State Second Team as a senior right side hitter and selected All-County First Team as both a junior and senior at Pascack Hills High School.
Katie Jablonski was an outside hitter/libero at Kaneland High School, where her accolades included All-State, conference Player of the Year, All-Conference, Daily Chronicle Volleyball Player of the Year and All-Area, and Fox Valley All-Area. She finished with more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
Wren Macaulay was named a high school Under Armour All-America Honorable Mention as a senior setter at Lake Orion High School. Her other accolades included All-State Second Team, All-Region and All-Conference as a junior.
Bre Smith was named All-District First Team, All-Conference First Team and All-State Academic Team as a senior middle blocker at Boonville High School. One year earlier, she broke the school blocks record at Geneseo High School.

SCOUTING BRYANT • Home Page

Bryant University (Smithfield, R.I.) has an 0-3 record following the Homewood Suites Fort Myers Classic (Fort Myers. Fla.) that was hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University. The Bulldogs were defeated by San Diego State (3-0), FGCU (3-0) and Akron (3-1).
Bryant won its first Northeastern Conference title last year but was selected fourth in this year's NEC coaches' preseason poll.

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Players Mentioned

Holly Bentley

Kate Bilyeu

Hannah Crist

Erin Hedrick

Katie Jablonski

Wren Macaulay

Emma Patlovich

Hannah Petke

Bre Smith

Kennedi Smith

Abby Sullivan

Emily Tanski

Logan Welti

Jenny Weston