In the heat of Atlantic 10 play, the University of Rhode Island women’s volleyball team pulled out two of three matches this week, beating Fordham University in a standalone match and splitting a weekend series with Duquesne University.
Rhody was able to sweep Fordham on Oct. 9, their first 3-0 win since Oct. 21, 2023, when they took down Duquesne on the road.
First-year middle blocker Havyn Rolle was the star of the shutout, collecting 11 kills on 18 total attempts. Rolle was the only Ram to reach double-digit kills and the match, marking the first time Rolle has reached double-figures in a three-set match over her young career.
In addition to Rolle’s successes on Wednesday, she also combined for 14 kills over the two-match set with Duquesne over the weekend. Her efforts named her as the A-10 Rookie of the Week – her first time receiving the honor in her career.
The Rams put up more fireworks on Saturday night, when they took down Duquesne in a five-set thriller. After winning the initial two sets, the Rams allowed the Dukes to storm back and force a fifth.
Even with the Dukes taking an 11-5 lead in the middle of the set, it was the Rams’ perseverance that kept them in it. The Rams proceeded to take 11 of the next 14 points to claim a victory, one that held magnitude for the program.
The back-to-back A-10 victories marked the first positive repetition of results since Mar. 27-28, 2020 when they took down La Salle University 3-1 and Fordham 3-0.
On-top of the back-to-back wins, the perseverance in the fifth set proved that the “comeback kids” adage that head coach Ryan Sullivan has been preaching about his team this season is true.
“The fact that this is the most wins that we have had in the conference over the last couple of years, the first time that we’ve won back-to-back since 2020 and these are all positive things,” Sullivan said. “It’s showing that we are doing the right thing, that hard work is paying off.”
For first-year right-side hitter Erika Bracey, the drive her team showed is one of their best features.
“We fight so hard, we practice fifth sets all the time in practice, the grit that we have is actually unmatched, I literally love that,” Bracey said. “That’s one of the best qualities about us in my opinion, it’s one of the things I love about us. I love a team that can fight, especially when the odds don’t seem that they are in your favor, you fight back and you win.”
Bracey went on to have her best match of her collegiate career on Sunday, despite the 3-1 loss to the Dukes. The first-year’s 10 kills marked a career-high for the hitter.
“Yeah [Bracey] is getting better every single day,” Sullivan said. “I keep asking the team in general to get one percent better and just peak at the right time, but she is someone who is getting 10% better every day. I’m really happy with her development, her arm is looking really good, I think if she continues to improve she can be one of the best players in the conference.”
Sullivan, Bracey and the rest of the Rams will continue their quest for their first A-10 tournament bid since 2017 this weekend, excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Rhode Island will travel down to George Mason University in a two-match set on Friday and Saturday. The first match begins at 6 p.m. in Fairfax, Virginia and can be streamed on ESPN+.