Volleyball begins 2015 with split in first day of RWU Invite

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BRISTOL, R.I. - The Roger Williams University Women's Volleyball team earned its first win of the season, defeating Emerson 3-0 in the first match of the Roger Williams University Invitational. Berry would take the second match against the Hawks by a 3-1 score.

Roger Williams kicked off the season with a bang, sweeping Emerson in straight sets. The first marked the first win by Danielle Soubliere as Head Coach of Roger Williams University.

The Hawks scored the first three points of the opening game, kicking off an 8-3 run capped off by an ace from Sarah McAniff (Redding, Conn.). RWU continued to push forward, utilizing two more aces as part of the Hawks' run to build to a 16-9 lead. RWU's attack began to falter a bit, as the Hawks committed five consecutive attack errors aided by two blocks by Emerson. However, the Hawks would rally to take the set by a 25-20 score.

In the second set, the Hawks stymied the Lions' offensive attack, holding Emerson to a -.094 hitting percentage while RWU hit .182 in the set. Both teams traded points for the first part of the set before RWU pulled away in the end. The final set saw Roger Williams hit a blistering .406 (16-3-32) in the set. The Hawks kicked off the game on a 6-0 run and never looked back.

Cassandra Minogue (Manorville, N.Y.) led the team with ten kills to go along with four blocks (two solo, two assist). Elizabeth Flaherty (Sloatsburg, N.Y.) went for eight kills and 11 digs, while Josalyn Benson (Phoenix, Ariz.) added 27 assists.

Kelley Guerra (Randolph, N.J.) led Emerson with six kills while adding three digs and two block assists. Sam Harton (Cartersville, Ga.) led the Lions with 13 digs, while Moira Brennan (Glenview, Ill.) and Elaine Nichols (Bountiful, Utah) finished with 11 and six assists, respectively.

In the second match, Berry and Roger Williams fought a hard, close-knit battle early on. Neither team led by more than four points the entire set. RWU staved off set point at 22-24 and managed to hold set point four times before the Vikings scored three straight points to win the opening set. The second set saw RWU lead from wire-to-wire. The Hawks scored the first three points of the set and led by as many as seven. Berry made things interesting by pulling within two (20-22) but the Hawks closed out with three straight points to tie the match.

The third set was similar to the first, with both teams battling back-and-forth. The game saw 11 ties and seven lead changes. The turning point came with the score tied at 20 apiece. Berry rallied off three straight points as part of a 5-2 run to close out the set and take a 2-1 lead. In the fourth game, it was a one-point game early on in favor of Berry. The Vikings managed to break a 9-9 tie and pull away with a 12-4 run that put the match just out of reach for the Hawks.

Emily Stromberg and Katie O'Rourke finished with 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Lauren Schmitz finished with 39 assists, while Stromberg added 21 digs.

For the Hawks, Flaherty led the team with 16 kills, with McAniff added nine kills and 17 digs. Benson went for 32 assists, while Molly Quilty (Duxbury, Mass.) finished with nine kills and six blocks (three solo, three assist).

In the other matches on the day, #13 Clarkson took down Wheaton and Lasell by 3-0 scores, while Berry upended Emerson 3-1. Wheaton earned the other victory with a 3-1 win over Lasell.

All teams will be back in action Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m.

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