THE BASICS:

MATCH INFORMATION: Hartford (5-15, 2-5 AE) vs. Bryant (15-10, 6-2 NEC)
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, Oct. 24 (6 p.m.)
LOCATION: Hartford Volleyball Gym
COVERAGE: AE.TV | Live Stats | Twitter: @HartfordVBall             
 
FIRST SERVE
Hartford steps out of conference play for the final time on Tuesday night, as Bryant visits West Hartford for a 7 p.m. matchup. It is the only clash between the two foes this season.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
The Hawks and Bulldogs have met 20 times on the court, with Bryant taking 12 of those matchups. The Bulldogs have won the two matchups in the Mitch Kallick era, but Hartford had won six in a row prior to the last two.
 
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Bryant has stepped it up since beginning New England Conference play, holding an 8-2 mark in its last 11, including a 6-2 league record. The Bulldogs are 2-2 against America East foes, falling to New Hampshire and UMass Lowell.
 
THE NASHURAL
Freshman Abby Nash registered back-to-back matches with 19 kills against Binghamton and UMass Lowell, with each occurrence leading to a Hartford victory. On Oct. 10, she became the first Hawk to win conference Rookie of the Week laurels since Katy Henchy in 2014.

ANDY'S DANDY
Freshman Megan Anderson has stepped up at the setter position as of late, delivering 30-plus assists in five of the last seven matches. She contributed 43 in the win over Binghamton and then followed that up with 46 in the win over UML. Since earning a spot as a regular in the lineup on Sept. 15, she has delivered at least 12 assists in each match and has 13 aces overall.
 
THE HENCHWOMAN
Senior Katy Henchy has had a strong senior campaign, including earning all-tournament honors at the Hartford Invitational in September. Henchy led the squad with 31 kills in the event, hitting .233 on the weekend. She matched her season high with 13 kills at Stony Brook, and now has a team-best 157 on the year.
 
JENNA ON THE BLOCK
Sophomore Jenna Bridges is third in the conference with 1.00 blocks per set, and she has totaled 24 blocks in the last five matches. She has also been stellar on the serve, as her .46 aces per set lead the league as well.
 
SHOWING HER BRAUN
For the second time this season, freshman Brittany Braun collected all-tourney recognition at the SHU Invite. She also collected honors at the Dog Pound Challenge, hosted by UConn. Braun leads the team with a .259 attack percentage on the year, and her .83 blocks per set are third on the team and ninth in the league.
   
UNFAMILIAR FACES
While head coach Mitch Kallick is back for his third season, his two assistants are new faces for the Hawks. Mia Frugé joins the Hawks after strong experience at Trinity University in San Antonio and the U.S. Naval Academy, while Kelsey Armstrong comes to the squad with significant club coaching experience under her belt.
 
SENIOR FIVE
Hartford boasts a five-person senior class, led by Henchy and Astrid Mangual Duran (198 assists). Henchy was second on the Hawks in both kills per set (2.47) and attack percentage (.184) last year, while Mangual Duran led the squad with 869 assists. Alyse Wenzel also returns in the middle and is fourth in the conference with .98 blocks per set, while Brianna Pacileo has provided strong service and Emma Lorenzo has added depth and experience to the team.
 
JUNIORS MINT
The duo of juniors on Hartford's roster brings a veteran presence to the Hawks as well. Paulina Modestow has been one of Hartford's leading hitters since arriving on campus, and was atop the squad with 2.95 kills per set a season ago – a total that ranked fifth in the America East. Montrashay Worley enters her third year on the back line, where she was sixth on the team with 1.55 digs per set.
 
SECOND-YEAR STUDS
The five-person sophomore class looks to build on a strong 2016 freshman year. Bridges aims to continue her rise in the America East Conference after being named to the All-Freshman Team and setting a Hartford rally-scoring era record with .93 blocks per set. Megan Scherer (2.15 digs per set) and Nicole Etta (.72) look to play a stronger role in the back in their second seasons as well. Olivia Rougeau (1.40 kills per set) and Dakota Butzler will continue to add depth in the front for the Hawks.
 
FRESH SEPTET
The Hawks' biggest class comes in the form of a talented group of seven for Kallick. In addition to Anderson, Nash and Braun, Daisy Eklund and Lacey Zadra will both add depth on the front line. Dacey Perez has stepped into the libero role already this season, and fellow freshman defensive specialist Jordan Fuelling has added significant depth to the back line.
 
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks return to conference action against Stony Brook on Sunday at 1 p.m. in West Hartford.