WENHAM, Mass. – The Roger Williams University Women's Volleyball team won its 2018 Commonwealth Coast Conference opener with a 3-0 victory over Gordon College Wednesday evening.
 
The Hawks and the Fighting Scots batted neck and neck in the opening set, with both teams trading leads back and forth. The turning point came with Gordon holding 16-15 lead. RWU rolled off five straight points to take a four-point lead. The Hawks would eventually take the set 25-18.
 
In the second set, RWU broke a 3-3 tie with a 6-1 run to go up by five. Gordon managed to pull within one (12-13), then eventually took a 17-15. With the score tied at 19, the Hawks closed out the set with a 6-4 run to win 25-23 and take a 2-0 lead.
 
The third set saw Gordon jump out on a 6-2 run and eventually go up by six. RWU eventually climbed its way back into the set, using a 6-0 run to turn a four-point deficit into a two-point lead. It would be close the rest of the way, but the Hawks managed to earn the 25-23 victory after claiming the final two points to break a 23-all tie.
 
Katherine Pickard (St. Petersburg, Fla.) led RWU with 12 kills while Lara LoIacono (Lynbrook, N.Y.) added ten kills. Julia Fields (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) finished with 37 assists while Kate Grabowski (Hebron, Conn.) added 13 digs and two service aces.
 
Roger Williams (7-4, 1-0 CCC) heads to the JWU Invitational beginning on Friday.