By Shane Donaldson
Associate Athletic Director, Communication and New Media

KINGSTON, R.I. - Heading into the opening weekend of the season, the Rhode Island women's volleyball team was focused on blocking.

That should not come as a surprise to anyone who follows the program. Head coach Ryan Sullivan has emphasized blocking since taking the reins. Over the last two seasons, the Rams recorded 294.5 blocks in 2014 and 244.5 last season. Those are the two highest single-season totals in the Rally Point era.

"We had been talking about blocking pretty much the whole weekend and in the week leading up (to the CCSU Tournament)," said fourth-year middle blocker Emily Sawyer. "We have different defenses that make it tough for the other team to hit around our block."

That is for sure. Sawyer herself had 13 blocks over the weekend, including a Rally Point-era program record six solo blocks Sunday at CCSU. Her play helped the Rams record 33 blocks combined in wins over Siena, Holy Cross and CCSU.

"Friday and Saturday, we were getting really good block touches, but we were so disciplined on the block by Sunday," Sawyer said. "We were able to really close the blocks and get our hands over the net. That discipline and the fact that we've been practicing this for so long is what really clicked this weekend."

The defense paved the way for Rhody to start the season 3-0 for the first time in 12 years, dating back to an 8-0 start in 2014. Sawyer had a team best 13 blocks over the weekend, while Chloe Abuto and KJ Johnson added 11 each.

Though this weekend was the first time most of the team had played together, Sawyer said it feels like they've been playing together much longer. Abuto has been with the team for four seasons, but Sawyer (Sacred Heart) and Johnson (Elon) are both transfers. Sawyer came to URI before the Spring 2026 semester, while Johnson arrived over the summer.

"I completely trust KJ and Chloe to close the block all the way into me," Sawyer said. "All I need to do for them is line it up well. We've been able to really bond over this one skill that we have, which has been super helpful."

It's not just the women at the net. The backline helps the wall immensely. Third-year setter Dakota Henry was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Week Monday after recording 74 digs in 14 sets over the weekend.

"I know Dakota is going to be in the right spot. She has been here for a while and she knows the defenses inside and out," Sawyer said. "It's not just Dakota, but Jahan Lalli, Carly Thomas or whichever setter is behind us. If I leave a little bit of line for them, I know they are right there to take it away. No matter where the attack goes, even if it gets by the block, I know there is a good defense behind me."

There is a sense of togetherness that comes natural for volleyball players. It was noticeable over the weekend. Regardless of which players were on the court, there was a palpable energy coming from the rest of the team on the sideline.

"Our bench is probably 50 percent of our success," Sawyer said. "Our bench this weekend was phenomenal. We keep joking that we are going to be the A10 bench of the year. All of that energy from the bench feeds into the court. It is super helpful to have that support from your teammates."
 

Thanks to a new rule put in place by the NCAA over the summer, Sawyer could be getting that support for another year. When the new five-year eligibility window was passed this summer, Sawyer picked up an extra year of eligibility. She'll be able to play two seasons in Kingston and start a master program.

"Ryan called me over the summer and said, 'Hey, you have another year of eligibility.' I had no idea," Sawyer said. "I thought it was just something in the rumor mill. Ryan offered it to me, and I took it, which was fantastic."

That's one more season for a sport that is still relatively new to Sawyer. She played basketball growing up, and she knew she wanted to play a sport in college. She just wasn't sure which one. Her mother, Rose, put her on to volleyball.

"I played volleyball here or there throughout middle school, but I didn't really play a lot until my sophomore year of high school. Really, I played because my mom threw me into it. She said, 'You're tall and you are nice,'" Sawyer said with a laugh. "I played basketball for 14 years, but as you know, basketball is a rough, aggressive sport. You have to put your shoulder into people and be physical with them. I'm not like that. When I'd play basketball, I would help people up and ask if they were okay.

"As I thought about it, volleyball really is for nice people. I mean, we hug after every point!"

Make no mistake about it. As nice as she is, Sawyer is still highly competitive on the court. In addition to the 13 blocks, she also had 20 kills and hit a solid .265 in the opening weekend.

"With volleyball, you kind of get the best of both worlds," Sawyer said. "When you go up for a kill and get a real good swing, that is mean. It's gnarly, you know? Then you go and celebrate with your team, and that is upbeat and positive. Those huddles after every single point are what really brings a team together."

The coaching Sawyer received early on in her volleyball career also carried significant weight for her. While playing for the CMASS Juniors club team, Paul McCormack and Gianna Schioletti helped fuel her passion for the sport.

"I've had better coaching in volleyball, and that made me love volleyball more at the time I was getting recruited," Sawyer said. "I had only been playing volleyball for a short amount of time before I committed. For a long time, I thought I was going to play basketball in college and go pro, but playing volleyball and getting the coaching I did early on really opened my eyes to what else I could do in college."

When she decided the enter the transfer portal, finding another school close to home was important for Sawyer. Sacred Heart was just 2.5 hours from her family in Wrentham, Mass. Coming to URI trimmed that commute down to an hour.

"I love having the option of going back and forth if I wanted. Being a student-athlete, it can be hard to get home," Sawyer said.

Just as important was that Rhode Island felt like home right away. Sullivan and assistant coach Marissa Soistman developed a connection quickly with Sawyer.

"When I was visiting Rhode Island, I fell in love with the campus. I loved the coaches. I talked with Marissa and Ryan on the phone," Sawyer said. "They talked up the program in a way that was really interesting to me. I knew it was something that I wanted to be a part of."

Now she is part of what appears to be another vaunted block defense for Rhode Island.