Box Score

Setting the Scene

Despite losing a five-set thriller to Charlotte, Rhode Island secured a spot in the Atlantic 10 Championship for the first time in 10 years on Sunday.

The Rams (15-14, 7-8 A-10) and 49ers finished with identical 7-8 marks in conference play. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head results, but the teams split two meetings. The second tiebreaker is sets won in head-to-head meetings. Rhode Island beat Charlotte 3-1 on Oct. 14, so by taking two sets Saturday against the 49ers, Rhody clinched the sixth seed in the tournament.

How It Happened

On a day in which seniors Candice Kolkka, Lindsay Potts and Kayla Wilson were honored, the Rams came out strong, taking the opening set 25-22. Sophomores Jill Anderson and Britta Baarstad provided the spark on offense, combining for nine kills and no errors in 17 attempts.

Charlotte (13-14, 7-8 A-10) took the next two sets, 25-19 and 27-25. Rhode Island dominated in the fourth set, coasting to a 25-16 score Rhody jumped out to a 15-5 lead and never let the 49ers challenge for the set. Though the match outcome was still to be determined, it was the fourth set that sealed Rhode Island's first trip to the A-10 tournament since the 2001 season, when the Rams fell to Xavier in the semifinals.

The fifth set was a back-and-fourth affair with nine ties and four lead changes. Rhode Island trailed 13-10 before battling back to tie it 13-13. After staving off match point at 14-13, the Rams score two straight on an attack error by Charlotee and a kill by Kolkka to get match point of their own. However, the 49ers ran off three straight points to win the match.

Top Performances

Setter Candice Kolkka had her fifth double-double - and second of the weekend - finishing with 39 assists and 18 digs. Kolkka added six kills on seven attacks for a hitting percentage of .857.

Britta Baarstad had a team-high 13 kills and six digs.

Freshman Catie Steffen had 11 kills and no errors in 30 attempts, for an impressive .367 hitting percentage.

Jill Anderson had 11 kills, six digs and five block assists.

Stat of the Day

Kayla Wilson, Britta Baarstad, Jill Anderson and Lindsay Potts appeared in all 113 sets the Rams played during the regular season.

What's Next

Rhode Island travels to Dayton, Ohio for the first round of the A-10 Championship on Friday, Nov. 18. As the No. 6 seed, the Rams will play No. 3 Saint Louis at 7:30 p.m. During the regular season, the Billikens won the only meeting between the schools, taking a 3-2 victory on Oct. 9.