Bristol, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Women's Volleyball team extended its winning streak to four matches with a non-conference victory Thursday evening over Clark University by the scores 25-17, 25-12, 25-17.

The Hawks opened the first set on a 5-1 run and steadily kept the Cougars at bay throughout the game. Clark would score three of the next four points before a 10-4 Hawk rally gave RWU a 16-8 advantage. Roger Williams would go on to with the set by eight, with a Cougar attack into the net serving as the winning point.

In the second set, both teams were neck-and-neck over the first few minutes. Clark opened the game with a service ace by Katie Freaney (Old Lyme, Conn.), sparking a back-and-forth scoring rally between the two teams. Neither team led by more than two over the first 14 points. A service ace by Emily Lebowitz (Coventry, Conn.) broke a 7-7 tie and began a 13-2 Hawk rally that ended with Roger Williams on top 20-9. The Cougars managed three more points before an ace by Rebekah Dion (Old Saybrook, Conn.) ended the game and put the Hawks up 2-0.

Dion would also begin the third set with a point for RWU, this time scoring a kill off of a pass from Sarah DeVries (Dover Plains, N.Y.). The Hawks would knock the ball into the net on the following serve to tie the game at one, yet that would be the closest Clark would come over the remainder of the match. An 11-5 run capped off by a kill by Natasha Sopchak (Rhinebeck, N.Y.) forced a Cougar timeout and put the Hawks up by six. Later in the match, a block by Kristin McGinty (Vail, Colo.) and Maritza Fair (Bronx, N.Y.) would make it a 13-10 game, but Roger Williams closed the match out on a 12-7 run, with Holly Hancock (Tilton, N.H.) clinching the winning kill.

For the Hawks, Dion led all with 12 kills on 24 attempts with only one error. Brittney Sullivan (Nashua, N.H.) finished with a nearly identical box score to Dion with 11 kills, also on 24 swings with one error. Lebowitz finished with 24 assists while DeVries had ten of her own. Jill Hurd (Sunapee, N.H.) added 12 digs with Sullivan chipping in with ten digs. Kelsee Loche (Millis, Mass.) tied for a team-high three service aces.

Fair and Amira Tranchell (Falmouth, Mass.) each finished with four kills for Clark, while Rachel Spera (North Hollywood, Calif.) handing out ten assists. Kortney Kelley (Barnstable, Mass.) led all with 13 digs, while Katie Byrnes (Southington, Conn.) added three kills and six digs.

Roger Williams (12-2) will be in Connecticut Saturday for a tri-match with Wheaton College (Mass.) and host Trinity College, while Clark (3-5) hosts Babson College Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

Release Courtesy of Roger Williams Athletic Communications