Women's Volleyball Edged in CCC Semifinals

BRISTOL, R.I. – Senior Lara Lolacano (Lynbrook, N.Y.) recorded 22 kills and 11 digs and hit .395 as the second-seeded Roger Williams University women's volleyball team edged Wentworth Institute of Technology, 3-1, in the semifinal round of the 2019 Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament.

STATISTICAL LEADERS:

Kills:  Leah Rogoz, 18; Claire Quick, 14 (.310)
Assists:  Jordan Chapman, 28
Aces:  Quick, 3; Rogoz 2
Digs:  Chapman 12, Quick 11, Lexie Cambray, 11, Rogoz, 10
Blocks:  Riley Waggoner, 4 (1-3); Samantha Lassiter 4 (0-4); Rogoz 3 (0-3)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Trailing 6-2 early in the opening set, Wentworth clawed back to tie the set at 7-all after a Roger Williams attack error and quickly took the lead on a freshman Riley Waggoner (Simi Valley, Calif.) kill. Four more ties ensued before the Hawks took an 11-10 lead. A service error put senior Claire Quick (Mission Viejo, Calif.) on the line where she proceeded to serve seven straight points, giving the Black & Gold an 18-11 lead. Roger Williams pulled within three at 19-16, however, sophomore Mary Zlotosch (Dover, N.H.) put down a kill to end the set at 25-20.
• The second set saw five ties in the early going before the Hawks used a 7-2 run to take a 12-7 lead. The Leopards pulled within one (17-16) on a Zlotosch kill but a 6-1 Roger Williams run made it 23-17. Zlotosch recorded another kill and Wentworth forced Roger Williams into an error to make it 23-19 but the hosts took the second set, 25-20.
• Hitting .357 in the third set, Roger Williams got off to a fast start, taking a 7-2 lead and forcing the Black & Gold into a time out. The Hawks extended their lead to as many as seven (17-10) before Wentworth got as close as four points down on three occasions, including at 20-16. Roger Williams took advantage of back-to-back errors to extend its lead to six and picked up a 25-18 win after sophomore Katherine Pickard (St. Petersburg, Fla.) put down the kill which gave her team the 2-1 lead.
• Quick was on the service line for three of her team's first six points – including serving back-to-back aces – as the Leopards jumped out to a 6-2 lead. Roger Williams battled back to tie the set twice and took an 8-7 lead after a block from junior Katie Nugent (Lynnfield, Mass.). An attack error put senior Leah Rogoz (Woodridge, Ill.) on the line where she served four straight points to make it 12-8 and forced Roger Williams to take a time out. Wentworth increased its lead to as many as five (14-9) when senior Samantha Lassiter (Rogers, Ark.) and sophomore Jade Iadarola (Miami, Fla.) combined for a block. The Hawks crept back and eventually tied the set at 19-all on an attack error. The teams would be tied three more times; at 20, 21, and 22-all before Lolacano recorded a kill and Lolacano helped set up match point when she combined for a block. Lassiter and Rogoz staved off match point when they combined for a block, however, Lolacano ended the match with her 22nd kill of the night.

NEXT UP:

• Roger Williams (15-12) will travel to top-seeded Endicott for the 2019 CCC Championship match on Saturday at Noon. Wentworth sees its season come to an end with a 22-8 record. This year's senior class ends their well-decorated careers with an impressive record of 95-24.

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