THE BASICS:

RESULT: Rhode Island 3, Hartford, 0
Set 1: Rhode Island 25, Hartford 19
Set 2: Rhode Island 25, Hartford 10
Set 3: Rhode Island 25, Hartford 20
RECORDS: Hartford (0-3), Rhode Island (2-1)
LOCATION: Gampel Pavilion (Storrs, Conn.)
THE LEAD: The University of Hartford volleyball team concluded play in the UConn Invitational with a 3-0 loss at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. With the setback, the Hawks drop to 0-3 on the season. Sophomore Katy Henchy and fifth-year player Kathryn Gawrych led the Hawks' offensively with six kills apiece while sophomore setter Astrid Mangual recorded a career-high 20 assists and 10 digs on the afternoon.

SET-BY-SET BREAKDOWN:

SET ONE:
In the opening set, Rhode Island quickly grabbed an 8-3 edge, and the Hawks were never able to fully recover from that deficit. Hartford hung around, though, as it clawed back from a 14-8 deficit and used five-straight points on three Rams' errors, a service ace, and a Rachel Moll kill to make it a one-point contest at 14-13. Down the final stretch, Rhode Island, which led by a two-point margin at 18-16, scored seven of the final 10 points of the set to come away with the win. Four of Gawrych's team-best six blocks came during that opening set.

SET TWO:
Behind a pair of kills and two attacking errors on the Hawks, the Rams jumped out to an early 4-1 advantage in set two and never looked back. Facing an 11-5 deficit, Hartford closed the gap to 11-7 before Rhode Island rattled off nine-straight points to go up, 20-7. The Rams went on to finish the set on a 5-3 run to end the set. The Hawks hit an afternoon-low -.174 during that set, while Rhode Island went .345. Mangual recorded four digs and a block to pace Hartford on the defensive side.

SET THREE:
Hartford improved upon its hitting in the final set, as it combined for a .103 percentage as a team. Pacing the Hawks was Gawrych, who had four kills and no errors in seven total attempts. From the start of the match, Hartford never trailed, and went on to take turn a 16-14 edge into a four-point lead (19-14) thanks to a Rhode Island service error and kills by Erinn Lavelle and Gawryth. From there, the Rams heated up at the end of the set, as they put the match away with a 10-1 run that included nine-consecutive points. Six of Rhode Island's points during that stretch were generated by kills.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

·          The Hawks struggled to find their groove offensively against the Rams, as they hit just .021 throughout the two sets

·          Conversely, Rhode Island posted a .252 hitting percentage overall, including a .345 clip that led to the 15-point victory in set two

·          Hartford recorded 14 blocks over the three-game set, a season-best total as a team

·          Contributing to that season-best total in blocks was fifth-year senior Kathryn Gawrych; with six blocks, all assisted, she set a new season-high

·          Sophomore Astrid Mangual and junior Paola Llerandi each posted double-digits in digs to lead Hartford defensively

·          Llerandi's 12 digs were a season- and team-high while Mangual's 10 were a career-best total

·          Hartford held a 14-11 advantage over Rhode Island in blocks as the two teams finished even in digs with 43 apiece

NEWS & NOTES:

·          Sophomore Astrid Mangual recorded a career-high in both assists and digs against the Rams, finishing the three-set match with 20 and 10, respectively.

·          Junior Paola Llerandi has recorded double-digit digs in back-to-back matches as she had 12 against the Rams one day after compiling 10 against the Syracuse Orange.

·          Hartford drops to 0-10 in the all-time series with Rhode Island.

UP NEXT:
Hartford heads back home to host the Siena Saints on Wednesday, September 2. First serve from the Hartford Volleyball Gymnasium is scheduled for 7 p.m.