Rhode Island Starters
Johnson, Rolle, Richter, Sawyer, Thomas, Keaney, Henry (L)
Siena Starters
Wire, Deacy, Edwards, Miller, Seymour, Goldberg, Malek (L)
How it Happened
Rhode Island (1-0) stormed back from a one-set deficit to outlast Siena 25-21, 16-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-11 in the season opener for both sides Friday afternoon. The Rams were down 23-20 in the fourth set before running off five straight points to set up the deciding fifth set in the first match of the CCSU Tournament.
Set One - Rhode Island 25, Siena 21
Havyn Rolle had the Rams offense off to a strong start, recording seven kills in the opening set.
Carly Thomas had 15 assists as the Ram attack hit a solid .262 overall. Rhody took over late. With the score tied 20-20, URI ended the set with a 5-1 run that featured two kills from Rolle and one from
Cara Richter that clinched it.
Set Two - Siena 25, Rhode Island 16
An early 5-1 run by Siena helped the Saints stake a 10-6 lead. Rhode Island never recovered as Siena knotted the match. Doga Diraz led the Saints with four kills, while the Rhody attack had eight kills with nine attack errors.
Set Three - Siena 25, Rhode Island 22
Rhode Island appeared to right the ship in the third set, jumping out to a 10-6 lead following an
Emily Sawyer ace. However, a 9-1 run by Siena put URI in a 15-11 hole. A
Havyn Rolle kill got the Rams back within one at 16-15, but Siena never relinquished the lead. The Saints hit .300 as a team (17 kills, 5 errors) for the set, taking a 2-1 lead after a kill from Mary Claire Deacy.
Set Four - Rhode Island 25, Siena 23
Rhode Island had its backs against the wall, trailing 23-20. Following a timeout,
Cara Richter sandwiched a pair of kills around a
Reagan Nisbet ace to tie the score. A
KJ Johnson kill gave the Rams set point before
Carly Thomas sent the match to a deciding fifth set with a kill of her own.
Set 5 - Rhode Island 15, Siena 11
A block from
KJ Johnson and
Cara Richter followed by a
Havyn Rolle kill helped Rhody establish a 6-3 lead in the final stanza. Siena was able to get the next two points, but URI never gave up its lead.
Chloe Abuto and Rolle paired up for a block, and two points later Abuto added a kill that put the Rams up 11-7. The teams traded points until Richter buried her 10th and final kill to close out the match.
Inside the Box Score.
- Setter Carly Thomas flirted with a triple-double in her collegiate debut for Rhode Island. She had 43 assists, 11 digs and seven kills.
- Outside hitters Havyn Rolle and Cara Richter both had double-doubles. Rolle finished with 18 kills and 11 digs, while Richter had 10 kills and 10 digs in her collegiate debut.
- The 18 kills for Rolle were two off her career best. She also recorded her 500th career kill and finished the match with 514 to her credit.
- Libero Dakota Henry had a team-high 26 digs. It was the most digs for a Rhode Island player in a match since Abby Fillion recorded 27 against Florida Gulf Coast on Aug. 26, 2022.
- Defensive specialist Reagan Nisbet had nine digs and three key service aces in her collegiate debut.
- Middle blockers KJ Johnson, Emily Sawyer and Chloe Abuto combined for 19 kills, two solo blocks and seven block assists.
- First-year players Carly Thomas, Cara Richter and Grace Keaney all started in their collegiate debuts.
- Transfers KJ Johnson (Elon) and Emily Sawyer (Sacred Heart) also started their Rhody debuts.
Up Next
Rhode Island plays Holy Cross Saturday, Aug. 29 at 2 p.m. The match will stream on
NEC Front Row.
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