Saturday’s win marked the end of three game losing streak
Brynne Wright logged 18 kills over two games for the Rams, leading the way with 11 in their Saturday victory. PHOTO CREDIT: gorhody.com
The University of Rhode Island women’s volleyball team split their series on the road against George Mason this past weekend as they continue the final stretch of their 2022-2023 season.
With the split, head coach Angel Agu praised her team’s ability to remain consistent and confident despite the early 3-0 loss Friday night.
“Friday ultimately came down to making one too many errors, giving away points and relying on the other team’s inconsistencies,” Agu said. “Saturday, our effort and attitude are how we responded. We played more unforgivably. It wasn’t our best performance, but our team remained consistent and controlled every point.”
The first set was the most contested Friday, with Rhode Island in the lead until 17-15. After two attack errors, a block error and a service error from the Rams, the host Patriots took the advantage and ran, besting the Rams 25-22.
As a team, the Patriots held the advantage over the Rams across all statistics, with 37 kills to Rhode Island’s 26, while also registering a hitting percentage of .321 to that of Rhode Island’s negative .021 percent.
Freshman Karlie Pinell led the Rams’ offense with eight kills on 18 swings, while junior Brynne Wright followed with seven kills and four digs.
Despite the loss, Rhode Island returned hungry for Saturday’s contest. In a back-and-forth first set with three lead changes and three ties, the host Patriots would go on a 14-2 run to pick up the first set 25-19.
The Rams would not be deterred as they came back to pick up the next two sets with matching 25-20 victories. The second match featured six lead changes, seven ties and a combined 18 kills, 11 for Rhode Island to the Patriots’ seven.
In a set that featured back-to-back rallies from both sides, the fourth and final was the most contested on the day. After a kill from Wright set the Rams on a rally to their biggest lead at 20-15, the Patriots would quickly go on a 7-4 run to tie the match up at 24-24. However, a service error and attack error from the Patriots would propel the Rams to the match-clinching victory, 26-24.
Junior Brynne Wright led the Rams offense Saturday, finishing just shy of her sixth double-double on the season with 11 kills and nine digs. Pinell followed closely with a matching 11 kills to bring her total to 154 on the season.
Pinell, a Colorado Springs native, has quickly made a name for herself in the Rhode Island community. A versatile player, Pinell has started at both the outside and right side of the court to compensate for various injuries this season. She currently averages 1.66 kills per set and has registered 70 digs and 35 total blocks on the season.
“My main focus is to do what I have to for my team,” Pinell said. “Coming in here, I had no expectations, but I knew it was my goal to get on that court. Playing both positions has made me a better player, and every day I get the opportunity to prove myself. It’s really rewarding.”
With the victory on Saturday, the Rams picked up their second Atlantic 10 conference win on the season. They currently sit with a record of 6-20 going into the remaining five games of the season.
Pinell and the Rams are back in action this Wednesday as they travel to Fordham before heading back to Keaney for their final home series against George Washington this weekend, with both games occurring at 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.