Nov. 11, 2008
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KINGSTON, R.I. - The Rhode Island volleyball team travels to Providence, R.I. on Wednesday to take on the in-state rival Friars. The Rams enter the match having won three of the their last four road matches.
Last time out
The Rhode Island volleyball team dropped three straight sets to then No. 21 Saint Louis last Sunday. Sophomore Lauren McIntosh led URI offensively with seven kills. Defensively for the Rams, senior Peggy Doino led the way with a match-high 21 digs.
URI jumped out to a quick lead in the first set 5-1, but SLU stormed back, winning seven of the next 10 points to even the frame at 8-8. The Rams would then win five of the next eight points to take a 13-11 advantage, but the Billikens would come back to even set at 13 apiece. SLU would not trail for the remainder of the set to win the frame 25-22.
SLU would then go on to win the next two frames 25-15 and 25-10, respectively to win the match.
URI against PC
Rhode Island will face Providence for the third-consecutive season. In the two previous meetings, URI has defeated PC 3-0 (2006) and 3-2 (2007). URI has also won seven of the last 10 matches, dating back to 1992.
Road warriors
URI's 3-1 victory over Duquesne last Friday gave the Rams their seventh road win this season. A year ago, the Rams were 3-6 in matches away from home.
Getting ahead of last year
A win over Providence would give Rhode Island 14 wins, which would surpass its win total from a year ago (13).
Getting defensive
Rhode Island has proven to be a strong defensive squad this season as it leads the conference in digs, averaging 15.37 per game. The Rams also rank fourth in the league in opponent hitting percentage (.175). Individually, senior Peggy Doino ranks third among the Atlantic 10 leaders in digs, averaging 4.29 digs per set.
Digs for Doino
Senior defensive specialist Peggy Doino enters Wednesday night's match against PC with 440 digs on the year, surpassing last year's total of 372. This season, Doino has tallied 20-or-more digs on eight separate occasions. URI has a 5-3 record when Doino reaches 20 or more digs in a match.
Welsh leads the way
In 2007, Caitlyn Welsh led the Rams with 264 kills as a sophomore. This season, the URI junior once again leads the team with 313 kills, surpassing her total from a year ago. Entering this week, Welsh ranked among the conference leaders in kills (seventh).
The Double Standard
Junior Caitlyn Welsh has tallied 14 double-doubles (kills and digs) this season, including five in her last eight matches. This season, the Rams are 8-6 when Welsh reaches double figures in kills and digs.
Welsh takes home Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week honors
Rhode Island junior Caitlyn Welsh was named Atlantic 10 Volleyball Co-Player of the Week on Oct. 27 after she helped the Rams to a pair of road victories against Charlotte (Oct. 24) and George Washington (Oct. 26). In two matches last week, Welsh averaged 3.63 kills and 4.23 digs per game. The outside hitter opened the week as she tied a season-high attack percentage of .462 and registered 13 terminations in a 3-0 sweep of Charlotte. She then closed out the week with a 16-kill, 21-dig performance at George Washington.
Schneck enters 28th season at URI
Rhode Island head coach Bob Schneck enters his 28th season with the Rhode Island volleyball program in 2008. Prior to this season, Schneck has compiled a record of 483-373-2, good for a winning percentage of .564. In addition, Schneck has guided his teams to three Atlantic 10 tournament titles (1991, `92 and `96), received three NCAA tournament bids (1985, `91 and `96) and reached the semifinals of the National Invitation Volleyball Championships in 1995.
Up Next
The Rams return to action on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. as they welcome Fordham.
