BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Volleyball team won a pair of five-set matches on Friday, defeating Neumann University 3-2 (25-18, 16-25, 25-19, 18-25, 15-11) before earning a 3-2 (15-25, 25-21, 25-22, 11-25, 16-14) victory over Plymouth State University at the Campus Recreation Center, on the opening day of the RWU Invitational.
For the Hawks, Peyton Felix (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) led the offense with 29 kills and four service aces across the two matches. Kaydence Fish (Bedford, N.H.) totaled 19 kills, two solo blocks and 10 block assists, while Angela West (Riverview, Fla.) added 18 kills on a .324 hitting percentage with three solo blocks and six block assists. Ava McGonagle (Reading, Mass.) directed the offense with 69 assists, and Marianna Hernandez (Norwalk, Conn.) anchored the back row with 41 digs. RWU totaled 21 blocks, 14 service aces and 110 digs across the two matches.
For Neumann, Julia Solomon led the Knights with 13 kills, two service aces and eight digs, while Bri Gautier added 11 kills on a .261 hitting percentage. Hannah Strohm paced the defense with 15 digs. Plymouth State was led by Sydney Riley, who recorded 13 kills on a .524 hitting percentage. Annalyn Cahill added 10 kills, while Fiona Bailey finished with eight kills on a .533 clip. Danielle Emerson distributed 26 assists, and Christa Imbriano collected 13 digs.
Roger Williams 3, Neumann 2
Roger Williams broke a 10-10 tie in the opening set with a 10-4 run before securing a 25-18 victory. Neumann responded with a 25-16 win in the second, but the Hawks regained control in the third. Joci Wall (Ann Arbor, Mich.) served during a 7-0 run that turned a 4-4 tie into an 11-4 RWU advantage, and the Hawks closed out the set, 25-19. The Knights forced a deciding set by taking the fourth, 25-18.
RWU scored the first three points of the fifth set before Neumann rallied to tie the frame at 6-6. The Hawks answered with three consecutive points and maintained the lead the rest of the way. Neumann pulled within 13-11, but Claire Davis (Trumbull, Conn.) delivered a kill before an attack error secured the 15-11 victory. RWU finished with a 13-5 advantage in total blocks, while Hernandez recorded 24 digs and McGonagle posted 29 assists and 12 digs.
Roger Williams 3, Plymouth State 2
Plymouth State took the opening set, 25-15, before building an 18-14 advantage in the second. Roger Williams responded by scoring 11 of the final 14 points, including four consecutive kills from Felix during the closing run, to even the match with a 25-21 victory. The Hawks carried the momentum into the third, opening an 8-2 lead before holding off the Panthers for a 25-22 win. Plymouth State answered with a 25-11 victory in the fourth to force another deciding set.
Roger Williams scored the first three points of the fifth before the teams battled through four ties. The Hawks moved within one point of the victory at 14-12, but Plymouth State scored twice to even the frame. West responded with a kill before combining with McGonagle on the match-ending block. West recorded five of her 11 kills in the fifth set, while Felix led RWU with 16 kills and three service aces. Fish added 12 kills on a .300 hitting percentage with six total blocks, and McGonagle finished with 40 assists.
Roger Williams continues the RWU Invitational on Saturday with two matches at the Paolino Recreation Center. The Hawks face Amherst College at 1 pm before taking on Babson College at 3 pm.
