Tying last season’s win total in just ten matches, the University of Rhode Island women’s volleyball team and new head coach Ryan Sullivan took two of three matches in their annual Art Carmichael Invitational over the weekend.
Despite losing their first four matches of the season, the revamped Rams team showed signs of promise. First-year middle blocker Havyn Rolle and third-year transfer Kiera McCarles added depth to the offense led by second-year sisters Megan and Madi Disu. McCarles leads the Rams in set assists with 156 while Rolle has 88 kills which leads and is tied with first-year defensive specialist Dakota Henry in sets played with 40.
Entering the Art Carmichael Invitational 2-5, the Rams set out to expand upon the success from their 3-1 win over Merrimack College two days prior.
Facing the 3-0 Harvard University Crimson on Thursday evening, Rhody prepared for a battle in Keaney Gymnasium. The first two sets were tightly contested, but the Rams pulled away with 5-0 point rallies down the stretch to earn both wins and go up 2-0 on the Crimson.
The following two sets went in favor of Crimson to tie the match at 2-2. Similar to the first four sets, Rhody and Crimson traded points until the Rams gained momentum from a 6-0 run and ended the set 15-11. Rolle led the Rams in kills with 15.
A little over 12 hours later, the Rams were prepared for their next matchup, Northern Illinois University. Another five-set battle took place at Keaney Gymnasium, resulting in a Rams win – their third in a row.
However, the defining difference between the two wins is that the second time it was the Rams who came back from a two-set deficit. A 28-26 third set win sparked the Rams to an easier fourth set, 25-16, but both teams were neck and neck for set five.
While the final set proved to be more of a challenge for the Rams, as neither team held more than a three point lead throughout, the set concluded in the same way as the Harvard match, a Megan Disu kill. Disu finished the match with 14 kills, second on the team behind third-year Emma Vente’s 15.
To conclude the Art Carmichael Invitational, Stony Brook University took the court against Rhode Island on Friday night. The Seawolves were 6-1, coming off of a sweep against Harvard. Third-year outside hitter for the Seawolves, Kali Moore, was already on the Rams’ radar before the match had taken place.
“Going into the game, we knew exactly what she was gonna do,” Megan Disu said. “Having that mindset of going up and blocking, we could have done a little bit of a better job.”
Moore claimed the first point of the match with a kill, setting the tone for the Seawolves, who traded points with the Rams before pulling away with a couple of 4-0 runs.
A kill by Megan Disu put the Rams back within five points mid-set at 15-10, but a 6-0 run by the Seawolves was something the Rams were unable to bounce back from, ultimately falling 25-16 in the first set.
The Rams were plagued by minor errors and miscommunications throughout the first two sets, according to Megan Disu.
“When we go into our timeouts, we’re talking about flushing those errors and then identifying how we can improve,” Disu said. “At the end of the day, we just need to communicate earlier and better, and we know that.”
While the second set saw Rhody losing by a similar score to the first set, 25-17. The bright spots came from Megan Disu’s four kills, Rolle’s two blocks and fourth-year setter Katie Butler’s five assists.
The kill ratio for both teams favored Stony Brook 26-13 after two sets.
“The best part about the previous set is that it’s over,” Sullivan said. “What we normally talk about [in between sets] is kind of like inhaling the old and exhaling to get to a new mindset.”
For the first time in the match, Rhody scored the first point of the set with a Rolle kill. Then, it was all third-year outside hitter Karlee Pinell, racking up four straight kills for the Rams.
Momentum swung Rhody’s way, as first-year Erika Bracey’s kill and block led the Rams to take an 8-4 lead, causing the Seawolves to take their first timeout of the match.
Despite a Pinell ace out of the timeout, the Seawolves would go on to take 10 of the set’s next 11 points, turning it into a 14-10 score. The two teams traded points before Rhody went on a 4-0 scoring run to tie the set at 17-17. It was once again Bracey’s kill that forced the Seawolves to take a second timeout.
Another scoring run of four points by the Seawolves out of the timeout were enough to make the Rams lose their footing and never be able to regain it. Finishing it off with a match-high 17th kill of the set, the Seawolves took set three by a score of 25-21.
Despite finishing out the tournament with a loss, the spirits are high in Rhody’s locker room.
“I think we surprised a lot of people, including ourselves,” Sullivan said. “I think we are finally, finally learning how to win. It’s contagious, we just want more of it. And it’s really cool to get the validation from hard work paying off.”
Up next, the Rams travel to Villanova for two matches in the Wildcat Challenge, starting on Friday against Marist College at 7 p.m.