Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

KINGSTON, RI—NJIT women's volleyball came up empty twice on Friday, losing by matching 3-0 scores, first vs. host Rhode Island and then to Rutgers, on the first day of the Art Carmichael Invitational in URI's Keaney Gymnasium.

Host Rhode Island won its eighth straight match to open the 2014 season, sweeping the visiting Highlanders, 25-21, 25-21, and 25-18 while Rutgers won comfortably in three sets, 25-14, 25-17, and 25-19, improving to 5-3 on the season. 

In the Rhode Island match, junior outside hitter Franki Darnold recorded a match-high 18 kills on 37 swings with 5 errors for a .351 hitting percentage.  Sophomore setter Callan Kinnan had a team-high 22 assists, while Catie Steffen led the Rams defensively with 12 digs, followed by libero Lizzy Scanlon's 11.  Sophomore middle blocker Layne Self recorded 7 total blocks (6 assists, 1 solo) for the Rams.

For NJIT, senior outside hitter Fran Edmondson was the lone Highlander to reach double-digit kills with 10, followed by 8 from middle Nina Vukotic.  Sophomore Grace Gao made her first start of the 2014 season, piling up 24 assists and 5 digs for the Highlanders. 

On the floor, senior libero Camilla Tinari shared match-high honors with 12 digs, followed by Edmonson (9), Nina Vukotic (7) and Gao and Katie Goswick each recording five.  Newcomer Shani Leacock made her first appearance as a Highlander, posting 5 block assists.

In second match of the day against Rutgers, NJIT had a different kills leader in senior middle Valerie Carroll, who notched 9 kills on 16 attempts, with just 1 error for a .500 hitting percentage.

Gao had 19 assists as the Highlanders sette,r while Tinari led the Highlanders again with 11 digs defensively and added two service aces. 

Rutgers, which hit .237 for the match, was paced by Meme Fletcher with a match-high 14 kills.  The Scarlet Knights used two setters – Nicole Bayer and Talia Holze, who recorded 15 and 14 assists, respectively.  Bayer had three service aces to lead that department followed by Fletcher with two.  NJIT's Tinari recorded two service aces.

Eight out of 11 Scarlet Knights had digs, paced by Ali Schroeter with 13, while Eden Frazier and Rachel Andreassian's five total blocks led the winners at the net.

NJIT will close out the Invitational on Saturday at Noon when the Highlanders face Cincinnati.