University of Rhode Island

Rhode Island Starters
Johnson, Abuto, Rolle, Stermenska, Richter, Sawyer, Henry (L)

George Mason Starters 
Hamilton, Hunt, Thompson, Cheney, Gelfound, Brown, Martinez-Robinson (L) 

How it Happened
Geroge Mason's Kiera Hamilton and Nia Thompson combined for more kills than Rhode Island had as a team as the Patriots swept URI 25-20, 25-15, 25-12 Saturday afternoon..

Rhode Island (5-9, 0-2 A10) had no answer for the George Mason attack. The Patriots (10-4, 2-0 A10) hit .494 as a team, collecting 50 kills with just seven errors in 87 swings. Hamilton (15 kills, .560 hitting percentage) and Thompson (13 kills, .333 hitting percentage) combined for 28 kills, four more than Rhode Island had in the match.

Set One - George Mason 25, Rhode Island 20
Rhode Island could not overcome a slow start in the first set, despite showing solid fight. With his team down 11-4, head coach Ryan Sullivan used his first timeout. The Rams responded with a 11-5 run to close the gap to one after an Emily Sawyer kill. The teams traded the next few points until George Mason went up 20-17. Sullivan again called time, and the team responded with a 3-1 spurt to get the score to 21-20. However, George Mason closed the set with four straight points to close it out.

Set Two - George Mason 25, Rhode Island 15
George Mason nearly led wire-to-wire in the set. Rhode Island got the first point on an Emily Sawyer kill, but the next four points to the Patriots. From there, George Mason steadily pulled away as URI was never competitive. The Patriots hit .556 as a team, recording 18 kills in just 27 attacks. Rhody had just seven kills for their effort.

Set Three - George Mason 25, Rhode Island 12
The momentum stayed with the host Patriots, who never let up offensive. George Mason hit a whopping .615 in the third set, recording 16 kills with zero errors in 26 attacks. Kiera Hamilton and Nia Thompson each had five kills with no errors to lead the way.

Inside the Box Score

• Cara Richter led Rhode Island with six kills, but no other Ram had more than four.
• Sophia Chinetti made her collegiate debut for Rhode Island in the third set.
• Hannah Jonick had four kills and two block assists.
• The 24 kills for Rhode Island were a season low.

Up Next
Rhode Island returns home for two matches against Loyola Chicago next weekend. The teams play Saturday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. and then Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. The Sunday match will stream on ESPN+.