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Smithfield, R.I. – The UMass Lowell women's volleyball team dropped a pair of matches at the Bryant Invitational on Friday at the Chace Athletic Center.

The River Hawks fell to Bryant in the season opener, 3-1, (22-25, 19-25, 25-23, 23-25) and were defeated by Towson in three sets in the late match (14-25, 15-25, 12-25).

In the early match vs. the Bulldogs, freshman Masha Yelsukova (Santa Clara, Calif.) led the team with 12 kills in her first collegiate match for the River Hawks. Senior captain Anisa Smith (Moraga, Calif.) also added nine kills in the losing effort. Senior libero Hannah Rey (San Diego, Calif.) amassed a match-high 24 digs to lead the River Hawk back line, while junior setter Kylee Chun (Las Vegas, Nevada) totaled 30 assists in her first match with UMass Lowell. Yelsukova, Smith and senior Ella Merrill (Bermuda Dunes, Calif.) all recorded double-digit dig totals vs. Bryant.

In the late match vs. the Tigers, Merrill paced the River Hawks with 11 kills and a .214 hitting percentage. Rey followed up a solid performance in the first match with eight digs in the second.

UMass Lowell returns to action in the final day of the Bryant Invitational with a 2 p.m. match vs. St. John's and a 4 p.m. match vs. Army on Saturday, August 30.