Women's volleyball loses in straight sets to St. Louis and Duquesne
Mike Ableson
Issue date: 9/29/09 Section: Sports
09/29/09 - The University of Rhode Island's women's volleyball team gave it their all Friday night at Keaney Gymnasium, but the 21st-ranked St. Louis University Billikens were too much for the Rams, winning 25-8, 25-17 and 25-19.
St. Louis took control early and never let up. A 9-point run in the middle of the first set ended all hopes of an early Rhode Island comeback.
"They were too much for us," Coach Bob Schneck said. "They didn't give us a chance to play our A-game."
Rhode Island was only able to hold a lead for 19 of the 119 points throughout the match.
The Rams turned it up in the second set by going toe-to-toe with St. Louis, but a 5-point run turned a 2-point deficit into a 7-point deficit.
"They weren't anything special," freshman Annie Nelson, who had a team-high 12 assists, said. "We just didn't bring everything we had tonight."
Mistakes and miscommunication doomed several Rhode Island rallies, including one in the second set where a tipped shot fell to the floor in the middle of all six Rams.
"The first couple of games we made too many unforced errors," Schneck said. "It didn't give us an opportunity to keep up with them."
Senior Caitlyn Welsh led a revived Rhode Island attack after the intermission. She had a team-high nine kills including four in the third set.
"The last several points of the third game, Caitlyn had the determination that she needed to have in the first two games," Schneck said. "She looked like she really, really wanted it at that point."
The Rams led at 13-12 of the third set but St. Louis senior and A-10 offensive player of the week Sammi McCloud, who had three of her game-high 16 kills to squelch yet another Rhode Island rally.
"We played some really good points throughout the game," Schneck said. "But there were also too many times that we didn't play well."
The Rams took on another fellow A-10 rival, Duquesne University Saturday. Going into intermission everything was going right for Rhode Island.
St. Louis took control early and never let up. A 9-point run in the middle of the first set ended all hopes of an early Rhode Island comeback.
"They were too much for us," Coach Bob Schneck said. "They didn't give us a chance to play our A-game."
Rhode Island was only able to hold a lead for 19 of the 119 points throughout the match.
The Rams turned it up in the second set by going toe-to-toe with St. Louis, but a 5-point run turned a 2-point deficit into a 7-point deficit.
"They weren't anything special," freshman Annie Nelson, who had a team-high 12 assists, said. "We just didn't bring everything we had tonight."
Mistakes and miscommunication doomed several Rhode Island rallies, including one in the second set where a tipped shot fell to the floor in the middle of all six Rams.
"The first couple of games we made too many unforced errors," Schneck said. "It didn't give us an opportunity to keep up with them."
Senior Caitlyn Welsh led a revived Rhode Island attack after the intermission. She had a team-high nine kills including four in the third set.
"The last several points of the third game, Caitlyn had the determination that she needed to have in the first two games," Schneck said. "She looked like she really, really wanted it at that point."
The Rams led at 13-12 of the third set but St. Louis senior and A-10 offensive player of the week Sammi McCloud, who had three of her game-high 16 kills to squelch yet another Rhode Island rally.
"We played some really good points throughout the game," Schneck said. "But there were also too many times that we didn't play well."
The Rams took on another fellow A-10 rival, Duquesne University Saturday. Going into intermission everything was going right for Rhode Island.
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