Salve Regina wins Rhody Four tournament

RESULTS
Salve Regina defeated Rhode Island Col., 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-23)
Roger Williams def. Johnson & Wales, 3-0 (25-22, 22-17, 25-22)
Johnson & Wales def. Rhode Island Col., 3-0 (25-10, 25-9, 25-14)
Salve Regina def. Roger Williams, 3-2 (33-31, 21-25, 9-25, 25-14, 15-12)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – In a preview of next week's Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) showdown, Salve Regina University and Roger Williams University women's volleyball teams met on neutral ground in the championship of the 2013 Rhody Four Tournament at the Wildcat Center on the Johnson & Wales University campus Friday evening. The Seahawks escaped with a five-set victory over the nationally-ranked Hawks to claim their first title in the annual event. 

The win marked only the second victory in 20 meetings for Salve Regina over Roger Williams, and the first for the Seahawks over a nationally-ranked program.

"The team played great tonight, we played with heart," said second-year head coach Lauren Parsons. "We stayed positive and aggressive throughout the whole match and, even in the third set when we lost 9-25, we came out in the fourth set with an aggressive mindset and played smart. These girls showed tremendous determination and never gave up."

In the championship match, junior Jennifer Duggan (Merrimack, N.H.) paced Salve Regina with 17 kills and 11 digs while senior Clare Adams (New Concord, Ohio) also had a double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs for the Seahawks. Junior Taylor Violet (Tiverton, R.I.) notched 40 set assists while junior Dianna Tauro (Melrose, Mass.) had a match-high 20 digs in the victory. Senior Krystie Luczybski (Kensington, Conn.) led the way for Roger Williams with a match-high 23 kills, eight digs and eight blocks while senior Alexa Armenti (Dix Hills, N.Y.) and Weber each had 27 set assists in the loss for the Hawks.

In the first set, Salve Regina saved five set points before taking its first lead at 30-29. The Seahawks led again at 31-30 and 32-31 before finally getting the two-point margin following an attack error from the Hawks.

In the deciding set, Roger Williams won six of the first seven points before Salve Regina mounted its comeback. The Seahawks and Hawks will meet again on Wednesday at Bristol, R.I., with first place in the league on the line.

The Johnson & Wales women's volleyball team notched a third place finish in the Rhody Four event. In the opening round, JWU dropped a 3-0 (25-22, 22-17, 25-22) decision against Roger Williams while Salve Regina defeated Rhode Island College (25-14, 25-16, 25-23). Johnson & Wales posted a 3-0 (25-10, 25-9, 25-14) victory against RIC in the consolation contest.

The Wildcats and Anchorwomen were finished with their consolation before the Hawks and Seahawks completed the second set of their epic match.

Against No. 24 Roger Williams, Johnson & Wales junior Alyssa Drapeau (Biddeford, Maine) tallied a team-high 10 kills and five digs. Senior Casey Higgins (Wallingford, Conn.) notched 16 set assists while senior Giselle Cram (Vega Alta, Puerto Rico) added a team-best 11 digs in the setback. Sophomore Elizabeth Flaherty (Sloatsburg, N.Y.) recorded a double-double with a match-high 12 kills and 13 digs while sophomore Nicole Weber (Poulsbo, Wash.) had 17 set assists and five digs in the victory for Roger Williams.

On court two for the first round, Salve Regina was led by Duggan with eight kills and three digs while Violet provided 16 set assists. Tauro added 15 digs in the victory for the Seahawks. Senior Amanda Cabral (Riverside, R.I.) paced Rhode Island College with six kills and two digs while sophomore Lauran Palazzini (Woonsocket, R.I.) had 13 set assists in the loss for the Anchorwomen.

In the victory over Rhode Island College, Drapeau once again led the Wildcats in kills with eight while also picking up four digs. Higgins and sophomore Kellen Tensen (New Canaan, Conn.) each tallied 11 set assists for JWU in the win. Palazzini notched five set assists and three digs in the setback for RIC.

With the split Johnson & Wales is now 8-17 on the season. Roger Williams is 24-2, Salve Regina is 22-2 and Rhode Island College is 2-22.