How It Happened
Rhode Island (1-1) split its first two matches of the season, first falling to Syracuse 3-0 before knocking off host Connecticut 3-1 on the first day of the UConn Invitational Friday.

In the first match of the day, the Rams dropped a close first set, 25-23. It was all Syracuse (1-0) from there, as the Orange won the match easily, 25-23, 25-15, 25-14. Rhody struggled in all areas, hitting just .153 as a team while allowing Syracuse to hit .303 for the match.

The Rams rebounded against the Huskies (1-1), taking control in the third set. After the teams split the first two sets, the third set was tied 13-13 when Rhody went on a 4-1 run that gave it the lead for good as the Rams took the set 25-19. Rhode Island never trailed in the final set, closing out the match with a score of 25-22, 19-25, 25-19, 25-16.

Inside the Box Scores

• Senior Franki Darnold recorded the first double-double of the season for Rhode Island in the win over UConn, finishing with 17 kills and 12 digs. Darnold also had 13 digs against Syracuse.
• Fellow senior Cate Seman had 10 kills and seven digs in the second match of the day. 
• Junior Callan Kinnan had 61 assists on the day, the last of which moved her into a tie for fifth place in program history. She is now tied with Kris Normandin (1992-95) with 2,234.
• Sophomore Marie Gillcrist had a steady offensive day, hitting .308 over the two matches. She had 10 kills with just two errors in 26 attempts.
• Junior Audrey Castro reached double digits in digs in both matches. She had a match-best 24 against Connecticut after getting 12 in the Syracuse loss. The 24 digs tied for the eighth most in a single match in Rhody history. 

Stat of the Day
.212 – After struggling to find rhythm on the attack against Syracuse, Rhode Island had a team attack percentage of .212 against Connecticut. The Rams had 44 kills and just 16 errors in 132 total attack.

What's Next
Rhode Island closes out the UConn Invitational with a match against Hartford Saturday at Noon.