Danbury, Conn.--Freshman outside hitter Amelia Murphy (North Attleboro, MA) posted 16 kills and added three digs to lead No. 5-seeded Rhode Island College volleyball team to a thrilling, 3-2 (25-15, 25-22, 15-25, 21-25, 15-13), victory over No. 4-seeded Western Connecticut in the opening round of the 2018 Little East Conference Championship played at Feldman Arena on Tuesday evening.

THE BASICS
No. 5 Rhode Island College 3, No. 4 Western Connecticut 2
Rhode Island College (15-11)
Western Connecticut (17-10)

HOW IT HAPPENED
• RIC junior setter Jacqueline Jutras (Foster, RI) racked up 36 assists, three digs and one service ace in the victory.

• Sophomore middle hitter Emilia Vaziri (Cranston, RI) added 11 kills and three blocks, while junior middle hitter Jessica Brielmaier (West Greenwich, RI) added five kills and six blocks for the Anchorwomen.

• RIC senior defensive specialist Marisa Brynes (Cranston, RI) notched 18 digs and a pair of service aces in the contest.

• Senior outside hitter Kamari King (West Hartford, CT) led the way for Western Connecticut with a match-high 22 kills and 10 digs, while sophomore Ali Brochu (Winsted, CT) notched 11 kills in the setback.

• Senior setter Jenna Skerritt (Wolcott, CT) had 52 assists and four digs for the Colonials.

BY THE NUMBERS
• RIC posted a .117 (40-26-120 total attacks) hitting percentage in the win, while Western Connecticut hit .176 (58-32-14 total attacks) in the loss.

• RIC had 59 digs, 16 blocks and eight service aces, while Western Connecticut had seven service aces and 51 digs for the evening.

WHAT'S NEXT
In upcoming action, Rhode Island College take on No. 1 seeded Eastern Connecticut in the semifinals of the LEC Championship played at Eastern Connecticut on Friday, Nov. 2 (7:30 p.m.).