Keaney Gym and the University of Rhode Island women’s volleyball team played host to the Art Carmichael Invitational last weekend when they played a set of matches against American University and Stonehill College, leaving both matches victorious.
Rhode Island started out the first set strong against American, coming out of the gates to a 5-2 lead, boosted by two early kills from first-year Madi Disu. The squads then went back and forth trading blows until American broke free on a 6-1 run featuring four Rhode Island errors, allowing American to gain a 14-11 lead. Rhode Island got the last laugh though, as an 8-1 run closed out the first set to give the Rams a 1-0 set lead, winning 25-19.
The second set was the opposite of the first. Instead of Rhode Island pulling away and American clawing back, it was a flipped script all the way to a 21-21 tie late in the set. However, a 4-0 run from American featuring three Rhode Island errors allowed the Eagles to tie the match at 1-1, winning set two 25-21.
Set number three was yet another back and forth battle, with both squads trading runs of three or four points but neither able to gain significant amounts of separation from the other. American pulled away at the end though, and a kill from fifth-year Zeynep Uzen served as a final blow to give American a commanding 2-1 lead with a 25-21 set win.
Rhode Island opened up the fourth set on a 3-0 run with a kill from Disu and second-year Aerin Bowman. However, the Eagles responded with double the emphasis, as a 6-0 run highlighted by two service aces from third-year Bridget Javitch flipped the momentum on its head.
The Rams and Eagles then engaged in a dramatic tug-of-war with neither side giving too much, until Rhode Island went on a 5-2 run to make the score 25-24. Only needing one more point to win the set, the Rams allowed a kill from America’s first-year Carly Sciborski and the set went to post-25 point play. Five match points later, Rhode Island finally won the set by a service ace, a 31-29 final.
The fifth set was a dominant one from Rhode Island. The Rams closed out the match on a 6-0 run to win the set 15-7, with first-year Chloe Abuto and Bowman combining on the final two blocks.
In the match, Abuto, who walked on at the beginning of the season, had a breakout match, tallying 10 block assists, the third most in a match for the program during the rally point era. Head Coach Angel Agu had a few things to say after the match on Abuto’s play.
“[Chloe] has an alternate ego when she comes on the court, we call her Cloe,” said Agu. “She’s best when she’s just playing free and not thinking, using her natural born athletic ability and it paid off this morning, so to see that was amazing.”
Also with a breakout performance was Disu, whose 24 kills in the match were double her personal best at the collegiate level and also the fourth-best in the program’s rally point era. Disu was pleased with her performance, but also recognized that the team played a role in the performance as well.
“I felt really confident,” said Disu. “Especially coming into the second match and coming off a five set win, it was really tough and I think that was the first time as a team we all played really well together. For myself, I was just confident.”
The confidence paid off in the second match for the team as they kept Stonehill College winless on the season, blanking the Skyhawks in three sets.
Set one saw Stonehill take a 12-6 lead, sparked by an opening 4-0 run. However, a 9-2 run from Rhode Island closed out the set in a commanding fashion, with fifth-year Gabrielle Schilling recording a kill and two blocks in that final stretch, leading to a set win by a score of 25-20.
Set two saw more of the same, with the Skyhawks starting hot on a 4-1 run. However, the Rams proceeded to get their affairs in order and bring the set back to a tug-of-war. That was until Rhode Island sparked a flip of the script in the form of a 7-0 run, bringing the tally to 14-11. Stonehill attempted a comeback, but the Rams shut it down at the end, concocting a 6-1 streak at the conclusion to end the set 25-17 and take a 2-0 set lead.
The final set was close for a very short time in the beginning, Stonehill even gathering an 8-6 lead at one point. However, a subsequent 12-3 run from the Rams erased any Skyhawk momentum and allowed them to coast into a 25-13 win and a three set sweep, the first since Sept. 12, 2022.
Following the second match, Agu was very pleased with the resiliency her team has shown this year, especially through the early struggles.
“I think the past couple of weeks we’ve been really fighting through losses [and it has been] different,” Agu said. “I think it takes a different type of mentality and so for this team to just stay disciplined in practice and to work hard and support each other and focus on just the fine details and to see that pay off this weekend was just exactly what they needed.”
The Rams are back in action this weekend when they host George Mason in a pair of games, the first coming Friday night at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.