Rhode Island Starters
Johnson, Abuto, Rolle, Richter, Thomas, Keaney, Henry (L)
Central Connecticut State Starters
Ginley, Keckler, Berkland, Milosevic, Winter, Macer, Denomme (L)
How it Happened
Rhode Island (3-0) used a stellar defense and strong service game to defeat Central Connecticut State (1-2) in four sets Sunday. The Rams (3-0) are off to their best start in 12 seasons after winning all three of their matches at the CCSU Tournament.
Set One - Rhode Island 25, CCSU 12
Rhode Island's defense smothered the CCSU attack in the opening set, recording eight blocks.
Emily Sawyer had four solo blocks and one block assist, while
Chloe Abuto added a pair of solo blocks. The defensive effort forced 15 attack errors, holding CCSU to a negative .163 attack percentage in the set.
Set Two - Rhode Island 25, CCSU 21
Rhody again maintained a lead for the majority of the set, though play was more competitive in the second set. Up 16-14, the Rams started to click offensively.
Chloe Abuto and
Grace Keaney each had a pair of kills and
Cara Richter added one of her own as part of an 8-5 stretch that put URI up 24-19. After back-to-back CCSU points, Abuto ended the set with a solo block.
Set Three - CCSU 25, Rhode Island 18
CCSU came alive offensively, hitting .367 as a team. Madison Fulgencio, Olivia Keckler and Adele Macer each had three kills as the hosts kept the match alive. After playing strong defense in the first two sets, URI struggled a bit, converting just 45 percent (11-of-24) of its sideout chances.
Set Four - Rhode Island 25, CCSU 14
Rhode Island's defense got back on track and quickly put the set away. With 17 digs on 43 attacks by CCSU, the Rams kept points alive and forced the Blue Devils to a negative-.023 hitting percentage in the set.
Cara Richter (5 kills) and
Emily Sawyer (3 kills) led the attack.
Inside the Box Score.
- Rhode Island is 3-0 for the first time in 12 years, dating back to the 2014 season. That year, the Rams won their first eight matches.
- Rhode Island converted 61.6 percent of its sideout chances for the match (45-of-73). The Rams converted 75 percent (9-of-12) in the first set and 73 percent (11-of-15) in the fourth set, preventing CCSU from any extended runs.
- Dakota Henry was named to the All-Tournament Team after she reached 20 digs for the third straight match, getting exactly 20.
- She also received 14 serves without an error.
- For the weekend, Henry averaged 5.29 digs per set and recorded 74 overall.
- Rhode Island had 14 blocks, eight of which came in the opening set.
- Emily Sawyer set Rhode Island's rally-point era record for solo blocks in a match with six. She finished with eight blocks overall to go with four kills.
- Chloe Abuto had four blocks, three of which were solo efforts. She is just nine blocks shy of 300 for her career.
- Cara Richter had her second double-double of the weekend, posting 14 kills and 11 digs. Â
- Grace Keaney had nine kills, four of which came in the second set.
- Havyn Rolle had a career-high 18 digs and received 21 serves without an error.
- Carly Thomas had 18 assists, six digs and three kills, while fellow setter Jahan Lalli had 15 assists, five digs and three aces.
- KJ Johnson had a strong all-around match, posting three kills, three aces, five digs and three blocks.
- The third set featured a 14-minute delay caused by a scoring discrepancy between the official scorer and the scoreboard.
Up Next
Rhode Island hosts the 2026 Ocean State Cup with in-state rivals Bryant, Brown and Providence starting Sept. 4. There will be doubleheaders for three straight days, starting with Providence-Brown at 4 p.m. and Rhode Island-Bryant at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4. All six matches in the tournament will stream on ESPN+.
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