Rhode Island Starters
Wagner, Wright, Paulette, Shilling, Pinell, Butler, Blaney
 
Air Force Starters
Messenger, Scires, Reinkensmeyer, Tschuor, Markwardt, Harvey, Riggs
 
Set One – Air Force 25, Rhode Island 16
The first set began as a back-and-forth battle, with the score being tied at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6 and 7-7. From there however, the Falcons went on a 15-3 run to take a commanding 22-10 lead. Rhode Island got the deficit back to single digits at 23-14 but Air Force coasted to the 25-16 win.

Set Two – Air Force 25, Rhode Island 17
The Falcons doubled Rhody up at 8-4 early in the second set, but the Rams responded with a 5-1 push to limit the damage and pull back within one at 9-8. Air Force never relinquished the lead though, using 16 kills – and just four errors - on 32 total attacks to finishing the set with an impressive .375 hitting percentage. On the opposite side of the net, Rhode Island managed just nine kills (with five errors) on 27 total attacks.
 
Set Three – Air Force 25, Rhode Island 16
Air Force opened the third set with another 8-4 lead and fended off the Rams once again. Back-to-back kills from Emma Vente, followed by a Gabrielle Shilling kill, eventually tied the score 11 apiece, but it was all Falcons from that point forward. The visitors got all the way to match point (24-13) without allowing Rhody another kill. A termination by Claire Wagner broke the streak and extended play, as did a Falcons error and an Adel Gage ace, but a kill from Air Force's Sarah Markwardt eventually ended things at 25-16.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Rhode Island combined for just 25 kills in the match, recording nine in the first set, nine in the second set and seven in the third set.
• Air Force also held a significant advantage in service aces, at 12-4.
• Senior Claire Wagner led the Rams with eight kills on the night. She also had three block assists.
• Redshirt freshman Emma Vente registered seven kills, three digs and one assist.
• Sophomore Katie Butler recorded 19 assists on URI's 25 kills. She also had four kills of her own, eight digs and one block assist.
• Grad students Gabrielle Shilling and Mariah Paulette each had two block assists and two digs. Shilling also recorded her second solo of the season.
• Sophomore Hannah Blaney finished with nine digs and four assists.
• Junior Brynne Wright had a pair of service aces, one kill and one dig.

Up Next
The Rams return to action against Fairfield on Friday, Sept. 9.