• Rhode Island is 4-0 all-time against Merrimack.
• The most recent meeting came in 2024, when Rhode Island defeated Merrimack, 3-1.
• Jocelyn Hammerstrand leads the Warriors with 86 kills, surpassing her previous career high of 80.
• Last week, McKenna Shotwell was named to the Saluki Bash All-Tournament Team after recording 25 kills, 22 digs and five aces across three matches.
• Shotwell ranks second in the MAAC in service aces with 0.40 aces per set.
• Merrimack lost its home match against Atlantic 10 opponent Fordham, 3-1, last Saturday.
• Merrimack dropped a 3-0 decision to Harvard on Tuesday, bringing their record to 0-10 on the season.
• Merrimack enters the matchup with Rhode Island still searching for its win of the season.

• Rhode Island and Coppin State will be meeting for the first time.
• Coppin state enters the weekend 4-5 and on a three-match winning streak after goin 3-0 at the Zips Invitational.
• Coppin State was voted the preseason favorite in the MEAC and currently sits second in the conference, behind Delaware State (9-5).
• Cherisse Atilano was named MEAC Player of the week after recording three double-doubles and averaging 2.92 kills and 2.85 digs per set.
• Atilano leads the MEAC with 107 total kills and 125.5 total points this season.
• Eva Rovello was named MEAC Setter of the Week for the second time this season.
• Rovello averaged 8.69 assists and 2.23 digs per set last week while adding nine kills, seven aces, and 12 blocks.
• Coppin State posted a program record .383 hitting percentage in a four-set match against Cleveland State last weekend, surpassing the previous record of .345 set in 1992.

• Rhode Island is 22-8 all-time against UConn in a series that dates back to 1975.
• The most recent meeting came in 2023, a 3-2 loss for Rhode Island on the road.
• UConn enters the weekend 5-5 after going 2-1 at the East Coast Challenge.
• UConn opened the tournament with back-to-back sweeps of New Hampshire and FDU before falling to Yale, 3-1.
• Sophomore Jordyn Hughes and freshman Sydney Borowy were named to the East Coast Challenge All-Tournament Team.
• Hughes recorded 21 kills across three matches, including eight against both New Hampshire and FDU and five against Yale.
• Borowy led UConn with 33 kills over the weekend, including a team-high 13 against Yale.
• Isabella Sohl was named Big East Freshman of the Week after totaling six kills, 84 assists, two service aces, 24 digs, and four black assists across three matches.

• In its most recent match, Rhode Island set a program record with 24 blocks against Quinnipiac.
• As of Monday, it is the most blocks in any match in Division I this season, and the Rams needed just four sets.
• At the start of the week, URI moved up to 25th nationally and second in the Atlantic 10 with 88 total blocks.
• Chloe Abuto and KJ Johnson led the way with 12 block assists each in the match. Both players tied the program record for most in a single match since the start of the Rally Point era in 2001. 
• The record was set by teammate Havyn Rolle against NIU on Sept. 13, 2024.
• Rhode Island has three players ranked in the top 10 in the A10 in blocks. 
• Johnson is fourth with 37 blocks, Abuto is sixth with 36 and Emily Sawyer is eighth with 34.
• Earlier in the weekend, Abuto became the 10th player in Rhode Island history to reach 300 career blocks.
• Abuto enters the weekend ninth in team history with 316 total blocks. Next on the list is Michelle Fulton, who had 358 blocks from 2000-03.

SERVICE GAME IS COMING UP ACES

• Over the course of three matches at the Leopard Invitational last weekend, Rhode Island recorded 31 aces with 20 service errors.
• The Rams reached double digits in all three matches after not getting more than eight in any of the first six matches of the season.
• As a team URI is 41st nationally with 63 aces, but it has just 40 service errors. The Rams have yet to have a negative ace-to-service error ratio this year.
• Four players who are in their first year with the program have at least nine aces already.
• Elon transfer KJ Johnson leads the team with 11, while first-year setter Carly Thomas is next with 10. 
• First-year players Jahan Lalli and Cara Richter both have nine aces.
• Fourth-year player Ema Stermenska has eight aces despite playing in just 11 sets thus far.