Women's Volleyball 10/13/2012 6:39:00 PM

Volleyball clinches Little Rhody Championship

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Volleyball team claimed the Little Rhody Championship for the fourth straight year Saturday afternoon, defeating Johnson & Wales 3-0 in the semifinal and Rhode Island College 3-1 in the championship.

Rhode Island College Senior outside hitter Breanna Boyer (West Greenwich, R.I.) became the all-time leader in career kills at Rhode Island College with 30 winners on Saturday afternoon as the Anchorwomen knocked off Salve Regina, 3-1, in the semifinal match of the 2012 Rhody Four Tournament held at The Murray Center before falling in the championship contest to Roger Williams, 3-1.

Roger Williams (16-9) jumped out to an early lead in the finals of the Rhody Four after taking the first two sets, 25-13 and 15-17. Rhode Island College (9-13) rallied to take the third set, 25-22, before falling to the Hawks in the fourth and final set, 25-15.

It was in that final set of the championship tilt with the Hawks that Boyer buried her 12th kill of the match to pass Erin Miga with 1,344 career winners, making her the program's all-time leader.

Aside from the 12 kills, Boyer tallied 10 digs and three blocks to lead the way for RIC, while junior outside hitter Amanda Cabral (Riverside, R.I.) finished with 11 kills and seven digs. Senior setter Jessica Ho (Providence, R.I.) was stellar as well, dishing out 32 assists and contributing 13 digs.

On the other end, senior outside hitter Kelsey Twarog (Barkhamsted, Conn.) led Roger Williams with 16 kills, while freshman setter Nicole Weber (Poulsbo, Wash.) handed out 48 assists. Meanwhile, freshman outside hitter Elizabeth Flaherty (Sloatsburg, N.Y.) posted 18 digs, seven kills, five aces and four blocks to pace the visitors.

The Anchorwomen put forth an excellent effort in their semifinal match with Salve Regina (13-8) to come away with the, 3-1, victory and advance to the finals. RIC picked up a win in the first set, 26-24, before dropping the second set, 25-20. However, after bouncing back to take the third set in commanding fashion, 25-13, Rhode Island College closed out the Seahawks in the fourth set with a 25-21 victory.

In the match, Boyer registered 18 kills, seven digs, four blocks and four aces, while Ho handed out 40 assists. Cabral chipped in with 11 kills, 14 digs and three aces, while freshman middle hitter Adriana Ambari (Beacon Falls, Conn.) and freshman right side hitter Lauren Palazzini (Woonsocket, R.I.) each finished with 10 kills.

The Seahawks were led by sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Duggan (Merrimack, N.H.), who posted 13 kills and nine digs, while sophomore setter Taylor Violet (Tiverton, R.I.) handed out 34 assists to go along with six kills. Senior libero Megan Clancy (Chelmsford, Mass.) finished with a match-high 16 digs.
In the afternoon's other semifinal match, Roger Williams swept Johnson & Wales, 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-19) to advance to the championship. Flaherty notched nine kills and 14 digs, while senior defensive specialist Kelsey Loche (Millis, Mass.) posted 20 digs. Johnson & Wales (9-17) was led by junior libero Giselle Cram-Ortiz (Vega Alta, Puerto Rico), who finished with a match-high 29 digs.

In the tourney consolation match, Salve Regina knocked off the Wildcats, 3-1 (15-25, 25-13, 25-19, 26-24) to wrap up the day's competition. JWU was led by Cram-Ortiz and her 43 digs, while sophomore outside hitter Alyssa Drapeau (Biddeford, Maine) notched 14 assists, seven digs and seven kills.

In total, Boyer finished with 17 digs, seven blocks, and five aces to go along with her 30 kills, while Cabral notched 22 kills, 21 digs, five blocks and four aces to lead Rhode Island College on the day. Ho posted 72 assists and 18 digs, while freshman libero Jasmyn Starr (Gilford, N.H.) added 25 digs to lead the hosts defensively. Palazzini and Ambari finished with 16 kills apiece.

Twarog paced Roger Williams with 23 kills, while Flaherty contributed with 32 digs, 16 kills and five aces. Loche also registered 32 digs, while Weber tallied a team-high 52 assists. Junior middle hitter Holly Hancock (Tilton, N.H.) and sophomore outside hitter Andrea Gorman (Wilbraham, Mass.) finished with 19 digs and 18 kills, respectively.

Johnson & Wales was led by Cram-Ortiz, who led the Rhody Four with 72 digs on the day. Senior outside hitter Karlie Haack (Selkirk, N.Y.) tallied a team-high 13 kills, while senior setter Kasey Higgins (Wallingford, Conn.) recorded a team-leading 25 assists. Drapeau added 19 assists, 13 digs, and 13 kills to pace the Wildcats both offensively and defensively.

- Release courtesy of the Rhode Island College Sports Information Department

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