Lady Knights make it to Semi-final of CCRI Classic!

09.17.18

Warwick, R.I. – September 17, 2018: The CCRI Knights Volleyball Team hosted the 2018 CCRI Volleyball Classic on Saturday at the Flanagan Campus field house. CCRI hosted MassBay Community College from Wellesley Hills, MA, Northern Essex CC from Haverhill, MA, Nassau CC from Garden City, NY, Fashion Institute of Technology from New York, NY and New Hampshire Technical Institute from Concord, NH for a six team Tournament. CCRI won their first match vs MassBay 3-0 then lost a grueling five setter to FIT and then were knocked out of the semi-finals by the eventual tournament Champions Nassau Community College that went a perfect 5-0 on the day. With the 1-2 day CCRI is now 5-6 on the season.

Match 1: CCRI beats MassBay CC (3-0): 25-2, 25-6 & 25-4

In their first match of the Classic CCRI faced MassBay Community College which has a very new program playing in just their second year of competition. The Knights used their experience and superior talent to make quick work of the Buccaneers of MassBay in three straight sets.

Leading the way for CCRI was freshman Yoeliz Vargas (Providence, RI) with 10 Service Aces and two Kills for 12 total points followed by Danielle D'Andrea (Lincoln, IL) with eight Service Aces and two Kills for 10 total points while adding a team-high 11 assists. Christa Fitzsimmons (Warwick, RI) had five Kills and three Service Aces for eight total points, Paola Almarante (Woonsocket, RI) also had eight points consisting of eight Service Aces and Tri-Captain Emily Stengel (Cumberland, RI) added seven Service Aces for seven points. The next match for CCRI will be against the very formidable FIT squad.

Match 2: CCRI falls to FIT (2-3): 20-25, 18-25, 25-11, 26-24 & 11-15

This match was a grueling five-set marathon that saw the Knights fall behind two sets to none. CCRI battled back to win the third and fourth sets to set up the 15-point fifth set in which they led 7-2 to begin but FIT grinded their way back into the set to overcome CCRI 15-11. After the first two sets it looked as if FIT would win easily in three sets but the Knights would not go easily on their home court and found another gear as they won the third set convincingly. The fourth set was one for the ages with neither team taking a big lead and FIT leading late but CCRI battled back to win the set 26-24. CCRI jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead in the fifth but FIT made some adjustments to their attack to tie the set at seven and take a 9-7 lead and the Knights would not get the lead back falling by a final set score of 15-11 and 3-2 in the match in five sets. Leading the way for CCRI was Yoeliz Vargas with 15 points with 13 Kills and two Solo Blocks. Also having a great match was Tri-Captain Samantha Elkas (Cumberland, RI) with three Kills, five Service Aces and two Solo Blocks for 10 points. Tri-Captain Ivelisse Serrano Vargas (Providence, RI) had six Kills an Ace for seven points while adding a team-high 14 Digs defensively. Setter Danielle D'Andrea directed the CCRI offense with an impressive 27 assists while adding four Kills and Ace and 13 Digs. Rounding out the CCRI top performers was Jasharilee Diaz (Central Falls, RI) with five Kills and 13 Digs and Paola Almarante added four Aces and 12 Digs. The next match for CCRI will be versus the Lions of Nassau CC who were undefeated on the day.

Semifinals: CCRI falls to Nassau (0-3): 13-25, 15-25 & 21-25

After playing the longest match of the tournament versus FIT, who later advanced to the tournament finals with a win over Northern Essex, CCRI had to face the Lions of Nassau who were undefeated on the day at 3-0. The Knight fought hard but the height and talent of Nassau was just too much to overcome as they lost in straight sets to Lions for the second time this year.

Leading the way for CCRI was Yoeliz Vargas with six Kills and Six Solo Blocks for 12 points. Danielle D'Andrea had a good match with 15 Assists a Kill and an Ace, Tri-Captain Ivelisse Serrano Vargas had three Kills, an Ace and a Solo Block and Tri-Captain Sam Elkas added three Kills and a Solo Block.

The next matches for the Knights will be this weekend Saturday the 22nd when they travel to Concord, NH to compete in the NHTI Invitational beginning at 9:00am.

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The Community College of Rhode Island, New England's largest comprehensive community college, enrolls nearly 15,000 students in credit courses and thousands more in non-credit and job training classes. Its athletic program boasts 12 varsity programs and an academic support program for all student-athletes.