BOSTON – The Roger Williams University Women's Volleyball team fell in straight sets, 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-21) in Tansey Gymnasium to the No. 2 Wentworth in the Conference of New England (CNE) Semifinals on Wednesday,
Wentworth out hit the Hawks, .274 to .129, with 44 kills on 95 attempts,. The Hawks had 25 kills with 101 total attempts in the match. Wentworth also had 12 service aces in the match to the Hawks nine, while RWU registered five blocks to the Leopards one.
Peyton Felix (Burn Hills, N.Y.) led the visiting Hawks with nine kills, while also hitting a team-high .563 throughout the match.
Kaylee Jackson (Naugatuck, Conn.) and
Angela West (Riverview, Fla.) each recorded six kills in the tilt.
Ava Mattiucci (North Kingstown, R.I.) lead the team with 16 assists, while also serving three aces.
Hailey Brasseur added three aces, while
Lily Winsten (Rockledge, Fla.) chipped in two.
On the defensive end,
Marianna Hernandez (Norwalk, Conn.) had eight digs for the Hawks, while Felix, and West had four and three blocks respectively.
For Wentworth, Emma Sanders and Kate McLane each finished with double-digit kills with Sanders earning 19 and McLane finishing with 12. Olivia Vaughn carried the load with 40 assists in the match, while Amanda Zweifler finished with a game-high four aces. Sanders also earned 14 digs in the match.
In the opening set, the Hawks led 5-2, but the Leopards came back to take a 7-5 lead. After a kill by Jackson, put the Hawks down by three, 13-10, Wentworth again used a run to regain a seven-point lead. Trailing 23-16, the Hawks were able to use a run to climb back within three points, but eventually fell in the set.
In the second frame, RWU came out with an 11-10 lead, but a trio of points from the Leopards gave Wentworth the advantage. The Hawks would stay within one, but a kill by Helen Barthe kicked off an eight-point run for the Leopards that closed off the Hawks.
After opening the set trailing 12-3, the Hawks then battled back to retake the lead with an 18-17 advantage, after a pair of kills by West. The Hawks held a 21-20 lead, but five straight points by the Leopards ended the match.
Roger Williams finishes their season with a 17-12 record, finishing the season with a 6-3 record in conference action. The Hawks earned the No. 3 seed in the CNE Tournament after the preseason poll selected the Hawks to finish in sixth. RWU also made their first conference tournament semifinal appearance since, the 2021 season.
