Rhode Island Starters
Ma. Disu, Me. Disu, Abuto, Rolle, Vente, Butler, Henry (L)

Harvard Starters
Faltinsky, Furey, Farquhar, Resmer, Patterson, Aguirre, Zhang (L)

How It Happened
Rhode Island jumped all over Harvard early, then staved off a major rally, beating the Crimson in five sets 25-20, 25-19, 23-25, 24-26, 15-11 in the opening match of the Art Carmichael Invitational Thursday.

Rhode Island (3-5) won for the third time in four matches, handing the Crimson (3-1) its first loss of the season. The Rams got career-best nights from Emma Vente (first career double-double), Chloe Abuto (career-high 12 kills) and another strong showing from freshman Havyn Rolle (team-high 15 kills) to spark the victory.

Set One – Rhode Island 25, Harvard 20
A late run helped Rhode Island take the early lead. Holding an 18-17 lead, the Rams went on a 5-0 run that included kills from Madi Disu, Megan Disu and Havyn Rolle, as well as an ace by Dakota Henry. That push gave URI a 23-17 lead, and after the teams traded points, Rolle used her fourth kill of the set to end the frame. Rolle and Emma Vente both had four kills without an error, while Katie Butler dished out 10 assists, leading to team hitting percentage of .345 in the set for Rhode Island.
 
Set Two – Rhode Island 25, Harvard 19
Harvard jumped out early, scoring six of the first eight points. The Crimson maintained its lead until the score was 12-8. From there, Rhode Island began to rally. A Harvard service error, Aerin Bowman kill, Emma Vente solo block, a Vente kill and a combined block by Bowman and Havyn Rolle gave URI a 13-12 lead, forcing the visitors to call time. The teams traded a couple points before Rhody used another 5-0 run that featured three Harvard attack errors and a Katie Butler ace. Rhody never relinquished the lead from there, and Bowman's second kill of the set gave URI a 2-0 set lead.

Set Three – Harvard 25, Rhode Island 23
Trailing 14-12, Rhode Island used yet another surge to take command. A 7-1 run that featured a pair of Aerin Bowman kills and back-to-back service aces by Madi Disu put URI in front 19-15 and forced a Harvard timeout. The move helped, as the Crimson scored the next three points. However, Rhody responded, as Havyn Rolle and Bowman provided kills to make the score 21-18. Harvard got two straight points of its own, but another Bowman kill made the score 22-20. Harvard grabbed four of the next five points to pull back in front, 24-23. Bennett Trubey ended the set for Harvard with a kill after a lengthy rally, extending the match to a fourth set.

Set Four – Harvard 26, Rhode Island 24
Coming off a tough finish to the third set, Rhode Island played inspired from the start of the fourth set. Leading 5-3, the Rams went on a 7-2 run to open a 12-5 lead and force a Harvard timeout. Chloe Abuto keyed the run with two kills and two blocks. Out of the timeout, Harvard went on a 6-0 run that included three Rhody attack errors and a service error. Rhody called time to slow the momentum while still holding a 12-11 lead. A Megan Disu kill ended the run. After a Harvard kill, a Havyn Rolle kill followed by a Kiera McCarles ace gave Rhody a 15-12 edge. Though Harvard got within one point at 15-14 and again at 17-16, but Abuto came through with four kills during a 6-3 run to make it 23-20. Abuto then set up match point at 24-21 with a solo block, but the Crimson ran off five straight points to stunningly forced a deciding fifth set.

Set Five – Rhode Island 15, Harvard 11
The deciding set began with the teams trading the first 15 points. Harvard had a slight 8-7 edge following a Rhody attack error. From there, the Rams ran off six straight points, three of which came on back-to-back-to-back aces by Emma Venta. Harvard then responded with four straight points to make it 13-11. A long rally led to a Crimson attack error, and this time Rhode Island took advantage of match point, finally ending things on a Megan Disu kill.

Inside the Box Score

• Outside hitter Emma Vente had her first career double-double, finishing with 11 kills and 12 digs.
• The 12 digs were a career high, beating her previous record of eight against St. Louis on Oct. 29, 2023.
• The double-double was the first by a Rhode Island player this season.
• Freshman Havyn Rolle recorded her second straight match with double digit kills. She had a team-high 15 after recording 16 against Merrimack on Tuesday.
• Middle blocker Chloe Abuto ended the night with a career-high 12 kills with just one error. She also had six total blocks, including one solo effort.
• Abuto's previous high in kills was eight against George Washington on Oct. 1, 2023.
• Despite not playing in the first set, outside hitter Aerin Bowman had nine kills with no errors, hitting an impressive .750 for the match.
• Freshman Dakota Henry had a career-high 19 digs to go with four assists and three service aces. She has at least 13 digs in three of her last four matches.
• Rhody had 15 service aces, marking the third time in four matches the Rams recorded at least 10 service aces. Emma Vente had a team-high five aces, three of which came in the fifth set.
• Both of the team setters, Katie Butler and Kiera McCarles had double digit assists. Butler had 30 assists with seven digs and three aces, while McCarles had 18 assists and four digs.

Up Next
Rhode Island plays twice on Friday as part of the Art Carmichael Invitational. The Rams host Northern Illinois at 10 a.m. and then finish their week with a match against Stony Brook at 7 p.m. Both matches will stream on ESPN+.