Photo Credit: URI Men’s Club Volleyball
The last time that the NCVF Championships were held in person, the University of Rhode Island Men’s Club Volleyball team walked away with the Division 1-AAA Championship.
Three years later and now competing for the Division 1-AA title, they traveled to Phoenix, Ariz. After two days of pool play, they went 5-1, advancing to the Sweet 16 Round in the Gold Championship Bracket before falling to Stevens Institute of Technology 2-1.
With the loss, the Rams finished the season ranked ninth in the country, boasting a 21-6 record.
Head Coach Michael Holden remained in good spirits after the tournament, applauding his team’s performance against the best collegiate club volleyball teams in the country.
“The guys really went out there and gave it their all,” Holden said. “We started off strong during the opening rounds, but going into Saturday we weren’t able to keep pace and we lost. It’s upsetting you know, we all wanted to go further. But, I’ve never seen the team perform better.”
Rhode Island put together one of their best performances all season, rallying through an intense schedule of pool play Thursday before moving into the playoff rounds of Friday and Saturday.
The Rams opened Thursday’s matches off with a pair of 2-0 victories over Milwaukee and Northern Illinois, before taking a loss against West Virginia 2-0.
The 2-1 record moved the Rams into an early Friday morning Challenge Round matchup where they faced Syracuse, successfully outlasting the Orange 2-0 to advance into the Gold Championship Bracket against the top 36 collegiate teams in the country.
In the Gold Championship Bracket, the Rams opened against longtime rivals George Washington. The two teams previously faced off in the 2019 National Championships before Rhode Island went on to win the national title.
History would repeat itself when the Rams defeated the Colonials in a three-set thriller, 2-1.
“Friday was definitely a rematch three years in the making,” senior captain and outside hitter Steve Costantino said. “They’ve always been a really great team, but everyone really stepped up with the defense so we could shut them down.”
Costantino was a part of the historic 2019 championship team, and noted the victory gave Rhode Island the momentum they needed to advance further in the tournament.
The Rams continued their hot streak with a matching three-set victory over the University of Texas, 25-21, 18-25, 15-11. This win advanced the Rams into the Sweet 16 Round on Saturday, before competing in the nail biting loss to Stevens, 25-21, 25-27, 15-10.
“The loss was disappointing,” Costantino said. “Being a part of the 2019 team really makes you wish you appreciated the moments more when you were in them. Winning back-to-back championships requires a lot of hard work, with a dash of luck. My teammates may not have had the luck part, but they definitely put in the work and that’s all you can really ask.”
Following the tournament, the Rams look to the future, as they hope to reload a roster that is graduating eight seniors, including Costantino, for next season.