Spring Break
Rhody seniors hit end of road with Fordham University win
Kyle Towne
Issue date: 11/19/08 Section: Sports
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It was senior night for URI, and a traditional ceremony was held honoring the team's three seniors before the game. The seniors, Peggy Doino, Chinny Okpara, and Jillian Bekke, started the match.
Junior Caitlyn Welsh recorded 15 kills and 13 digs to finish off the year. Freshman Kayla Wilson had 13 kills for the Rams. Okpara (3 kills, 14 digs) and Doino (23 digs) both played well in their final games as Rams.
With the larger-than-usual crowd behind them, the Rams had all the momentum they could want to begin the match.
"I felt that the teams were evenly matched," head coach Bob Schneck said. "The momentum from the crowd really helped us."
The Rams started out hitting the ball hard and hustling to make contact.
URI jumped out to a 7-2 lead to start the first game. As it progressed, Fordham was frustrated by the Rams defense, resulting in a lot of hitting and passing errors.
After the Rams took a 10-4 lead, Fordham took a timeout to try and slow things down. Coming out of the timeout, Fordham was more collected and started to catch up with Rhody.
Fordham got Rhode Island's lead down to 15-13, but back-to-back kills by sophomore Lauren McIntosh put the Rams back on track. The Rams pushed their way to a 23-19 lead, and back-to-back kills by Wilson ended the game.
A big hit by McIntosh to begin game two helped URI gain momentum immediately. The Rams tied up the game at five on a play that featured hustle from both teams, sending the crowd into an eruption as Welsh got the kill.
Wilson kept the Rams in the game with big kills, but URI still faced a deficit of 20-15 late in the game.
Rhody rallied for the next three points to draw the game close, but Fordham earned five of the next six points to win the match 25-19.
"We were having a tough time stopping the middles," Schneck said. "We need our serving to be tougher."
