After a tough loss to defending A-10 champion Dayton, volleyball finished the weekend with a win at Duquesne. PHOTO CREDIT: gorhody.com
The University of Rhode Island Volleyball team kicked off the first half of their four-game road trip last weekend, falling to Dayton 3-0 on Friday before a 3-1 victory on Sunday against Duquesne.
Even with the loss, the match against Dayton was significant for Head Coach Angel Agu. A Flyer during her playing days, Agu returned to face her alma mater for the first time as a head coach.
“It was a little nostalgic, I’m not going to lie,” she said. “It was a warm welcome after the match.”
As a part of Dayton’s squad from 2011 to 2015, Agu helped bring the school four Atlantic 10 championships during her playing career. Current Flyers Head Coach Tim Horsmon coached Agu her last two years on the team, and she credits him with playing a huge role in her success up to this point.
“He was a huge mentor to me,” Agu said. “He’s the reason as to where I am today.”
Despite the familiarity between both coaches, Agu and her group were unable to get the best of Horsmon’s team in Friday’s matchup. Rhody was held in check throughout, with the Rams failing to reach 18 points in all three sets.
Brynne Wright and Jamie Smith both led URI in kills on the night with eight apiece.
“There were just times where I don’t know if our confidence was all the way there,” Agu said.
Rhody rebounded on Sunday against Duquesne. It was all Rams in the first set 25-17, but the Dukes responded in the second. After going back and forth to start the set 8-8, Duquesne went on an eight-point scoring run to make it 16-8. The Dukes ultimately took the set 25-17.
The third set established the tone for the rest of the match. Both teams were able to stay within striking distance of one another, with Duquesne eventually taking the late advantage 23-21. Rhody finished strong, however, capping off the set with a four-point run to take the set 25-23.
From there, the Rams had all the momentum going into the final set. An early five-point run and another four-point run later on proved too much for the Dukes, as URI won the set 25-17 to take the match.
“We learned a lot from that game [against Dayton] too,” Wright said. “We just had a great turnaround and came together in a really big way as a team.”
Wright finished the game Sunday with 20 kills, the second-most of her career, while Claire Wagner registered 18 kills of her own.
A native of Austin, Texas, Wright has continued to steadily improve throughout her sophomore season. According to Agu, she plays at her best when letting loose and playing a more aggressive style of volleyball.
“I would say Brynne is a little bit more of an analytical player,” she said. “I think just having her go out there and have fun, and see the court and find her shots, she really took off there.”
With the support of her teammates and coaches, Wright believes she is starting to become more confident and play to her strengths.
“I think what’s been really influential in these most recent games is just having that confidence and aggression going into the games,” she said. “I think that’s been so influential in my play, especially in the most recent matches when we were facing some tough teams.”
URI will stay on the road for their next two matchups, taking on both George Mason and George Washington. Although the Rams faced both teams earlier in the season, they know they have to stay at the top of their game in order to get wins against their A-10 rivals.
“It’s a super competitive conference, but I love that about it,” Wright said. “You’ve always got to always be ready to compete against them because anyone can really come out on top.”
Rhody will travel to face the Patriots at 6 p.m. on Saturday before taking on George Washington on Sunday at 1 p.m.