CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel volleyball team dropped its first two matches of the Bulldog Invitational against Austin Peay and Elon on Friday.

The Bulldogs fell in three sets 25-23, 25-16 and 25-14 to Austin Peay in the opening match of the Bulldog Invitational on Friday morning.

In a back-and-forth first set with the Governors, the Bulldogs hit .114 while holding Austin Peay to a .025 hitting percentage. Outside hitter Carla Bruce finished with three kills and a .333 hitting percentage to lead The Citadel in the first set.

The Governors hit .303 and .300 in the second and third sets, respectively, cruising to the match victory.

Bruce and right side hitter Megan Sowell led the Bulldogs with six kills each. Setter Priscilla Irizarry had a team-high 14 assists. Middle hitter Dominique Williams led the team with three block assists. The Bulldogs had four players with at least six digs in the match.

After opening the tournament, the Bulldogs finished the first day off in the nightcap against Elon. The Phoenix, who entered with a 10-2 record, picked up their second sweep of the day, defeating the Bulldogs 25-18, 25-18 and 25-16.

The Bulldogs dropped the first set 25-18 with the Phoenix tallying a .216 attack percentage to The Citadel's .050. Elon finished the set with 13 kills compared to the Bulldogs' nine.

Elon opened up the second set with a 7-3 lead but The Citadel stormed back to pull within two after a three-point rally was capped by a Moriah Smith kill to make the score 19-17. Despite The Citadel's 22-21 edge in kills for the match at that point, Elon clinched the second set, 25-18, after a couple of blocks and Bulldog attack errors to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

In the final set, both teams improved upon their hitting as the Bulldogs finished at .129. The Phoenix, however, hit a match-high .448 with 16 kills to three errors to take the set 25-16 and clinch the match.
Sowell once again led the Bulldogs with eight kills and a .316 hitting percentage. Outside hitter Moriah Smith also totaled eight kills, but was defended well, hitting .074 from the field.

Setters Priscilla Irizarry and Logan Smith each hit double digit assists, with 15 and 13, respectively. Moriah Smith and libero Samantha Espy led the team with 11 digs each.

The Citadel fell to 4-9 on the season with the losses, continuing play at the Bulldog Invitational on Saturday. They face Savannah State at 11:30 a.m. and finish the tournament against crosstown rival Charleston Southern at 7 p.m. Live video and statistics will be available for both matches.

For more information on The Citadel volleyball follow @CitadelVB or visit CitadelSports.com.