BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Volleyball team hunts for its first Commonwealth Coast Conference title since 2015 as they begin the CCC Tournament on Tuesday night. The Hawks seek their 15^th trip to the conference semifinals in their last 16 seasons but in order to do that, they must first take care of seventh-seeded Suffolk University.
 
"We did our job this season," Head Coach Danielle Davis said. "We have come a long way from where we started. The team never gave up, continued to push, and get 1% better every day."
 
After a slow start to the season, Roger Williams really hit their stride once they began conference play and despite holding a 9-10 record overall, they have gone 9-4 since September 23^rd and finished 7-2 against CCC foes to earn the second seed. Meanwhile, in their inaugural season as a part of the Commonwealth Coast Conference, the Rams have gone 11-16 overall and 3-6 in conference play to earn the seventh seed though they have won three of their last four matches entering the postseason.
 
"We never lacked confidence and we believed in our abilities as a team," Davis said. "Continuing to do all this led us to our success in conference, which is our main focus, and will continue to make us successful entering the postseason."
 
For The Hawks
Led by a veteran core, Roger Williams remains one of the top two-way teams in the CCC as they ranked second in kills per set averaging 11.68 in conference play, while also ranking second in blocks per set, with 1.88, and fifth in digs with 15.49. In addition, it is worth noting that all three of those averages rise against CCC foes and in conference play they have simply been the top defensive team in the Commonwealth Coast Conference as they lead the conference in both digs and blocks per stanza.
 
"We are playing some of our best volleyball together, as a team, and that is exactly where we want to be at this time of year," Davis said about her team's play lately. "They know what it takes to take control of the game and push past a team. They are playing smart and as a team which is key to be successful."
 
RWU is headlined by one of the top players in the entire Commonwealth Coast Conference in CCC Co-Player of the Year Katherine Pickard (St. Petersburg, Fla.), who has been a do-it-all star this season. Not only does she lead the CCC in kills per set with a mark of 3.92, but she also is in the top-30 in hitting percentage (.209, 14^th), blocks per set (0.48, 15^th), and digs per frame (2.19, 29^th). Simply put, Pickard is a challenge for opponents because she makes an impact in all aspects of the game.
 
What sets the Hawks apart, however, is that they can hit you from anywhere on the court, Pickard leads the way of course, but the team also features two other top-25 attackers and another two of the most efficient players in the CCC. In the middle, RWU features the effective duo of All-CCC Second Team senior Tori Melanson (North Attleboro, Mass.) and All-CCC Third Team freshman Jasmine Babbitt (Charlestown, R.I.) who are both efficient on the attack and stout defensively at the net. Melanson is not only fourth in the conference with a .335 hitting percentage and 0.83 blocks per set while being tied for second in solo blocks with 18, but she is also the best server on the team recording 21 service aces thus far this season. Meanwhile, Babbitt has emerged as a key piece and ranks right behind Melanson hitting at a .308 clip, the fifth best in the CCC, while also posting 0.87 blocks per set, the second most in the conference.
 
On the outside, the Hawks feature Kristen Dansereau (Killingworth, Conn.) who has enjoyed a breakout junior season and ranks second on the team and 18^th in the conference with 2.20 kills per set with a solid .161 hitting percentage. She is followed closely by Allie Welch (Marlborough, Conn.) who is 22^nd in the conference with 2.03 kills per stanza while hitting .184.
 
Setting up all these weapons is the conference leader in assists per set and another Constitution State product, All-CCC Second Team senior Kate Porter (Killingworth, Conn.). She has broken into the RWU starting lineup this fall and all she has done is post the highest mark for assists per set that the program has seen since 2011 by averaging 9.49 per stanza. Porter also ranks second on the team and 17^th in the CCC with 2.68 digs per set to go with 18 service aces.
 
The key members of the back line for RWU are CCC Libero of the Year Jaime Gaffga (Mattituck, N.Y.) and fellow senior Kate Grabowski (Hebron, Conn.). The two-time CCC Libero of the Week Gaffga ranks second in the CCC with 4.68 digs per set to go along with 17 service aces and is also an alternative setter when needed, recording 0.70 assists per set, the second most on the roster. Grabowski also an excellent defender who is third on the team with digs per set and she can be a real difference maker entering the postseason.
 
For The Rams
Suffolk University is a true wild card entering the CCC Tournament. They only went 3-6 in conference play during the regular season, but this is their first season as a member of the conference, and they are rolling as winners of three of their last four games overall and won three of their last five CCC contests to get to this point. With that being said, they do rank in the bottom half of the league in several major categories. The Rams do struggle defensively, ranking last in digs per set with 12.55 and only averaging 1.12 blocks per frame, the seventh fewest in the conference. However, they do force a good number of errors as opponents have committed 4.86 attacking errors per frame against them. They are decent yet inefficient offensively as they rank seventh in kills per set with 10.27 despite a .123 hitting percentage that is the second lowest in the league. There is one thing that the Rams excel at however, and that is serving as they are third in the CCC with 2.62 aces per set.
 
"They are most likely going to come out and compete," Davis stated. "It is the postseason, so they want to win just as badly as we do."
 
While they do not jump out in terms of team stats, the Rams do have some very strong players and their offense runs through one of the top freshmen in the CCC, All-CCC First Teamer McKenna Keowen (San Ramon, Calif.). She is similar to Pickard in the sense that she does it all for Suffolk. She is third on the team and 24^th in the conference with 2.42 digs per set this season while also posting 35 service aces and 25 total blocks. However, her biggest contribution is on the attack where she is third in the conference with 3.49 kills per set while hitting at a .209 clip. All of this production comes after taking some time to really get accustomed to collegiate volleyball and since the calendar flipped to October, she has averaged more than four kills per frame. She is truly an x-factor in this match because where she goes, the Rams go. In wins, Keowen averages 3.87 kills per set while hitting .235 while those numbers drop to 3.24 kills and a .192 hitting percentage in Suffolk losses.
 
The other biggest threats offensively are fellow underclassmen Jasmine James (Norwood, Mass.) and Alina Nowakowski (Mansfield, Mass.). The sophomore James is second on the Rams with 1.90 kills per set despite hitting just .055 on the season. Nowakowski, a freshman, is third with 1.52 kills per frame and is also Suffolk's top blocker averaging 0.70 per stanza, the seventh most in the CCC.
 
The Rams will split setting duties between Harmony Johnson (Riverside, Calif.) and Jayla Martinez (Santa Fe, N.M.) who are similar in the sense that they are decent setters but great in the service game and contribute defensively accumulating digs. Johnson leads the team but is 11^th in the conference with 5.25 assists per set to go with 0.48 service aces and 1.48 digs. Martinez, meanwhile, is 14^th in the CCC with 3.83 assists per set in addition to 0.42 service aces and 1.04 digs per frame.
 
In addition to getting contributions from a number of players in the service game, Suffolk boasts the top server in the Commonwealth Coast Conference in Morgan Kelsey (Parker, Colo.). She leads the conference with 76 service aces this season, which is good for 0.95 per set, a rate that also leads the league. She is also second on the roster with 2.74 digs per set.
 
The top defender and the projected libero for the Rams is All-CCC Third Team selection Kenzley Bell (Lake Park, Ga.) who ranks sixth in the CCC wit 3.94 digs per set.
 
Previous Matchups
The Hawks traveled to Suffolk back in September for what was the Rams first CCC game in program history and the first matchup between the two teams since 2009. Roger Williams took the match in four sets, outscoring the hosts 92-79 and picked up their first win of the season in the process.

Pickard and Porter had double-doubles for the Hawks in the game. Pickard recorded 22 kills, her second highest total of the season, to go with 12 digs while Porter had 50 assists and 14 digs of her own.
 
Keowen thrived in the contest with 17 kills, 12 digs and a .302 hitting percentage of her own, but RWU limited the strong service game of the Rams, allowing six service aces in four sets, and were more efficient offensively, with a .232 hitting percentage as a team.
 
How To Follow Along
The scheduled start time for the match is 7:00 PM on Tuesday night inside the Campus Rec Center on the campus of Roger Williams University.
 
We ask that all spectators respect the RWU COVID protocols and wear a mask when inside the Campus Rec Center for the match.
 
If you cannot make it in person, you can follow along online.
 
VIDEO: https://rwuhawks.com/sports/2012/9/14/wvb_live_video.aspx
 
LIVE STATS: https://rwuhawks.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary