BOSTON – The Roger Williams University Women's Volleyball team saved five consecutive match points in the fourth set before earning a 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 22-25, 27-25, 15-13) Conference of New England victory over Wentworth Institute of Technology on Friday evening at Tansey Gymnasium.
Roger Williams improved to 8-12 overall and 4-2 in conference play, while Wentworth moved to 12-9 overall and 5-1 in the CNE.
For the Hawks, Angela West (Riverview, Fla.) recorded 20 kills on a .260 hitting percentage while adding three block assists. Peyton Felix (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) contributed 17 kills, 13 digs and four block assists, while Kaydence Fish (Bedford, N.H.) finished with nine kills and eight block assists.
Marianna Hernandez (Norwalk, Conn.) anchored the back row with a match-high 40 digs, three assists and a service ace. Ava McGonagle (Reading, Mass.) distributed 44 assists and added 12 digs and five block assists, while Joci Wall (Ann Arbor, Mich.) recorded 15 digs. Adele Kasper (Parsippany, N.J.) totaled five kills, two aces and seven total blocks.
For Wentworth, Emma Sanders registered a match-high 21 kills, while Vanessa Lobrigo and Mika Swanson added 12 apiece. Olivia Vaughn completed a double-double with 30 assists and 17 digs, and Sydnee Smith distributed 25 assists. Kate Koliopoulos collected a team-high 23 digs.
Wentworth finished with a 64-57 advantage in kills, while Roger Williams held a 15-5 edge in team blocks. The Hawks recorded 94 digs and seven service aces while hitting .139, compared with the Leopards' .135 hitting percentage.
RWU held a 17-15 advantage in the opening set before Wentworth scored seven consecutive points to move ahead, 22-17. The Hawks pulled within three at 23-20, but the Leopards secured the final two points for a 25-20 victory.
Wentworth scored the first four points of the second set before Roger Williams answered with six consecutive points behind Hernandez's serve. The teams remained within three points of each other throughout the frame before RWU built a 24-22 advantage. After Wentworth fought off the first set point, West delivered a kill to close out a 25-23 win.
The third set featured eight ties and three lead changes. Roger Williams erased a six-point deficit and pulled even at 19-19 behind consecutive aces from Kasper. Wentworth responded by scoring three straight points and held off a late RWU push to take the frame, 25-22.
The Leopards opened a 5-0 advantage in the fourth and later extended their lead to 22-15. Wentworth reached match point at 24-19, but Roger Williams scored five consecutive points behind the serve of Samantha Devino (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.). Devino delivered an ace during the run before McGonagle and Fish recorded consecutive kills to tie the set at 24.
After the teams traded points, Felix delivered back-to-back kills to complete the comeback and force a deciding set with a 27-25 victory. RWU hit .275 in the frame.
The fifth set featured six ties and two lead changes. Wentworth held a 12-10 advantage before the Hawks scored four consecutive points, including a Felix kill, to reach match point at 14-12. The Leopards extended the match with a Sanders kill, but Felix answered with her eighth kill of the set to secure the 15-13 victory.
Roger Williams returns to the Paolino Recreation Center on Saturday, Oct. 17, when it hosts Bridgewater State University at 1 p.m. during Homecoming and Family Weekend.
