Rhode Island Starters
Abuto, Melton, Richter, Rolle, Sawyer, Stermenska, Henry (L)
Dayton Starters
Cresse, Harrington, Hunt, Liening, Sprada, Vinson, Barry (L), Asleson (L)
How it Happened
Rhode Island fell to Dayton in straight sets, 25-22, 25-16, 25-18, at the Frericks Center in Dayton, Ohio on Friday evening.
The Rams (6-21, 1-14 Atlantic 10) battled the Flyers (20-8, 12-3 Atlantic 10) throughout a competitive opening set that featured 11 ties and four lead changes. Rhode Island held a pair of late leads before Dayton scored four of the final five points to take the set. The Flyers carried that momentum into the second and third sets to complete the sweep.
Set 1 - Dayton 25, Rhode Island 22
After falling behind 12-8, Rhode Island battled back with a series of scoring runs. Consecutive kills from
Cara Richter and
McKenna Melton tied the set at 18-18 before a kill from
Grace Keaney evened the score again at 19-19.
Emily Sawyer followed with a kill to give the Rams a 20-19 advantage, their first lead since 7-6. Sawyer added another kill to put Rhode Island ahead 21-20, but the Flyers responded to take a 22-21 lead.
Chloe Abuto tied the score at 22-22 with a kill before Dayton closed the set with three consecutive points.
Set 2 - Dayton 25, Rhode Island 16
Dayton jumped out to a 5-0 lead and extended its advantage to 10-2 before Rhode Island began to chip away. The Rams used a 5-0 run, highlighted by two Dayton attack errors and a kill from Melton, to pull within 10-7. Later in the set, back-to-back blocks by Richter and Abuto helped Rhode Island trim a 17-10 deficit to 17-13. However, Dayton responded with a 4-0 run to extend its lead to 21-13 and eventually took the second set.Â
Set 3 - Dayton 25, Rhode Island 18
The Flyers opened the third set with four consecutive points and maintained their advantage throughout the frame. Rhode Island trailed 20-13 before mounting a late push. A kill from
Havyn Rolle sparked a 4-0 run that included a kill from
Jahan Lalli, a Rolle service ace, and a block by Abuto and Keaney, cutting the deficit to 20-17. Dayton responded with four straight points to reach match point at 24-17. Richter kept the Rams alive with a kill, but Dayton's Kaleigh Meritt answered with a kill of her own to secure the sweep.
Inside the Box Score
Up Next
Rhode Island faces Dayton again, tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 7. The match begins at noon and will be streamed on ESPN+.Â
