How It Happened
After dropping the first two sets, Rhode Island nearly rallied to tie the match, only to fall 3-1 to host Yale  in the opening day of play in the Yale Invitational.

The Rams (2-2) struggled from the outset, dropping the first two sets 25-21 and 25-17. In the second set, Rhody could not get its offense going, hitting .067 from the floor (10 kills and 8 errors in 30 attacks).

In the third, Rhode Island jumped out to an early 9-2 lead and had an 18-13 edge after a Cate Seman kill.  Leading 24-21, Rhody allowed the Bulldogs to tie it at 24-24 before collecting two straight points to take the set. URI hit .289 in the third (16 kills and 5 errors in 38 attacks).

The Rams appeared on the edge of knotting the match 2-2 as they led 17-14 in the fourth set. Yale (1-0) responded with a 7-1 scoring run to take a 21-18 advantage. The Rams got to within one point on three occasions, but eventually dropped the set, 25-23.

Inside the Box Score

• Cate Seman led Rhody with 14 kills. She hit .375 in the match while also tallying six digs and three total blocks.
• Franki Darnold was the other Ram in double figures in kills, with 10. She also added two blocks - including one solo block.
• Layne Self chipped in with nine kills (.350 attack percentage) and five block assists.
• Callan Kinnan recorded her first double-double of the season, finishing with 37 assists and 16 digs. Kinnan added four kills.
• Lizzy Scanlon also had 16 digs on the defensive end, while Kylee Wolfe had 11 and Audrey Castro had 10 digs.
• Tonight's match marked the first true road contest for the Rams in 2015.

Stat of the Match
4 - In a combined 63 total swings, Cate Seman (2), Layne Self (2) and Callan Kinnan (2) committed just four attack errors.

What's Next 
The Rams return to action in the Yale Invitational on Saturday with matches against Rice at 11 a.m. and UCSB at 5 p.m.