THE BASICS
Weekend Schedule
Friday, Aug. 25
8:30 p.m. EST - Rhode Island (0-0) at Air Force (0-0) | Watch | Live Stats

Saturday, Aug. 26
12:00 p.m. EST - Rhode Island vs. UT Arlington | Watch 
7:00 p.m. EST - Rhode Island vs. Bryant | Watch

Weekend Notes

RHODE ISLAND VS. AIR FORCE - SERIES NOTES

• Rhode Island and Air Force are facing each other for the second consecutive year.
• Last season, Air Force swept URI in Kingston. The teams had never met before 2022.
• Middle blocker Joi Harvey had 10 kills and four blocks to lead Air Force in both categories when the team's met a year ago.
• Redshirt sophomore Emma Vente had a career-high seven kills for URI when the teams last played.

RHODE ISLAND VS. UT ARLINGTON - SERIES NOTES

• Rhode Island and UT Arlington will be meeting for the first time in two decades, and for the fifth time overall. 
• UT Arlington has won all four previous meetings, most recently with a 3-1 victory over the Rams on Sept. 18, 1993 in Columbus, Ohio.
• The series dates back to Nov. 13, 1982 when UT Arlington record a 2-1 win at the Rhode Island Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Tournament, which also featured Purdue, Rutgers, Penn State, Providence, and Bryant.
• Rhode Island and UT Arlington also met in 1986 at the Village Inn Classic in Kingston and in 1989 in Arlington. Both of those matches were 3-0 sweeps for UT Arlington. 

RHODE ISLAND VS. BRYANT - SERIES NOTES

• Rhode Island and Bryant are located just 40 miles apart in the smallest state in the country, with URI located in Kingston, R.I. and Bryant situated in Smithfield, R.I.
• The teams have met 14 times, dating all the way back to 1976.
• Rhode Island leads the all-time series, 10-3-1.
• Bryant has won each of the last three meetings, beating the Rams 3-0 last season and winning by scores of 3-1 and 3-0 last year.
• Bryant's Fabi Castro had nine kills for the Bulldogs in the meeting last season.

BLANEY HAS BACK LINE COVERED

• Rhode Island junior Hannah Blaney emerged as the team's libero in 2022, rercording 397 digs.
• It was the sixth-highest single-season dig total in program history for the Rams.
• Blaney also recorded 37 service aces last season, which tied for the seventh most in team history since the rally point era began in 2001.

NEW FACES ABOUND FOR RHODY

• Rhode Island has seven players on its roster who were not with the program in 2022.
• The Rams added three transfers and four true freshman during the offseason.
• Graduate student Maddie Norris came to URI from North Florida, where she had been part of the beach volleyball program for the last few years.
• Norris did play one season of indoor, recording 29 kills in 17 matches during the 2019 season.
• Junior Andrea Owens is the second North Texas transfer to join the program in two years, following the path that classmate Katie Butler took in 2022.
• Owens played two seasons at North Texas, recording 178 kills in 37 total matches. 
• She had a career-high 19 kills against Louisiana Tech in 2021.
• Sophomore Aerin Bowman spent 2022 at Virginia Tech.
• She saw time in five matches for the Hokies, recording 13 kills and six blocks.
• Rhode Island has four true freshman who could all see time this season.
• Twin sisters Madi and Megan Disu both starred for Hays High School in Texas.
• Both sisters were named to the AVCA All-American All-Region Team as seniors.
• They come from an athletic family. Their mother, Jennifer Price, played basketball and ran track at UC Santa Barbara, and their brother, Dylan, played basketball at the University of Texas. 
• Setter Catalina Hendricks set the career record for assists for the St. Luke's School in Connecticut, topping 1,000 career assists in just three seasons. 
• Chloe Abuto earned MAVCA All-State honors for Burlington High School as a senior in 2022.
• She had a .376 attack percentage with 189 kills as senior last fall.