Rhody senior night spoiled by Colonials
First-year Karlee Pinell finished second on the team with eight kills over two games. PHOTO CREDIT: Eddie Melfi
The University of Rhode Island volleyball team will leave its final homestand of the season battle-tested after dropping both matches to George Washington University (GWU) this past weekend.
With Saturday serving as senior night, the Rams looked to keep their Atlantic 10 playoff chances alive. However, the fourth-ranked Colonials played spoiler on an emotional weekend with a 3-1 defeat of the Rams Friday and 3-0 on Saturday.
Despite the losses, head coach Angel Agu praised the team’s ability to defend against one of the better teams in the conference.
“Our defense really kept us in the game,” Agu said. “We were getting balls up we haven’t in the past, and to see that improvement was really amazing.”
Friday’s four-set thriller was back and forth from the start. The Colonials came out swinging early with a 3-0 run. The Rams were able to come back to make it 3-2, but another 3-0 rally put the Colonials back on top. They would not relinquish the lead throughout, topping off the Rams 25-21.
Rhody would not falter, however, coming back with an early 7-1 rally to hold the Colonials at bay. After a 4-0 Colonials push cut Rhody’s lead to 8-6, the Rams’ defense buckled down and did not allow GW to score more than two consecutive points from that point on. The Rams would come away with the match 25-18.
Despite the Rams’ best efforts, the Colonials would not stop, picking up a pair of match 25-16 victories in the third and fourth sets to clinch the game.
Sophomore Lauren Nelson led the Rams offense with 12 kills on the night, while freshman Karlie Pinnel closely followed with 10. She also recorded three digs, one block and one assist.
Saturday’s match would be bittersweet as the Rams honored Claire Wagner, Abby Fillion, Gillian Klise, Mariah Paulette, Adel Gage and Gabi Shilling for senior night.
The Rams hoped to return victorious following the defeat Friday, confident to know they had the ability to pick up a set against the unwavering Colonials. However, the results did not go in their favor as George Washington took the 3-0 sweep.
The first set of the night was the most contested, with six tie scores and two lead changes. George Washington would come out strong, picking up seven of the first nine points.
After a service ace from Paulette, Rhode Island would go on a 7-1 rally to pick up their first lead change of the night. However, a pair of aces from George Washington’s Grace Allread gave the Colonials the lead they needed to run away with the first set 25-17.
George Washington continued its dominance in the second set with an early 5-0 run. Despite the Rams’ best efforts, a 10-2 rally nearly doubled the Colonials’ score as Rhode Island fell into a hole they could not dig their way out of. After a blocking error, George Washington eased away with the victory 25-11.
The third and final set was close early on, with neither team taking a lead of more than three points. However, a 9-3 push would give the Colonials the edge, and they would go on to pick up the victory 25-19.
Third-year Brynne Wright led the Rams’ offense with seven kills, six digs and a season-high three blocks. The outside hitter from Austin, Texas currently leads the team in kills and is second in digs behind libero Hannah Blaney.
When asked about the seniors, Wright had nothing but praise for her teammates and friends.
“They lead by example both on and off the court,” Wright said. “I think they do a really great job integrating all the underclassmen and have been so supportive throughout the season. Each one has their own traits that make them unique in their own right, but they’re always willing to help in whatever we may need.”
Following this weekend’s contest, the Rams moved to a 6-23 record on the season with a last-place finish in the A-10 standings.
They head to the University of Dayton this weekend, with Friday’s match occurring at 7 and Saturday at 4 p.m.