Rhode Island vs Merrimack Volleyball: Rhode Island Wins 3-0

FinalFri, Sep 18, 2026 · Neutral site

3:0

Rhode Island beat Merrimack 3-0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-17) on Fri, Sep 18, 2026 at a neutral site. Rhode Island's McKenna Melton led with 9 kills, and Ema Stermenska added 6 digs.

Data through Nov 3, 3:00 PM CT · final Sep 18

Set	1	2	3	Sets
URI	25	25	25	3
MERMCK	16	11	17	0

Win probability

Merrimack above 50 · Rhode Island below

Biggest swing: 1.7% to Merrimack — set 1, URI 2-4 MERMCK. Attack error by KJ Johnson. MERMCK win probability 16% → 18%.

Pre-match

Season fit · includes this match

URI 85.4%14.6% MERMCK

Rhode Island wins

3-0

37.6%

3-1

31.4%

3-2

16.4%

Merrimack wins

3-0

2.2%

3-1

4.7%

3-2

7.8%

URI break %: 49.8% vs this opp
MERMCK break %: 41.7% vs this opp

Exact Markov model on each team's RallyIQ serve and receive strength, adjusted for schedule and applied to this matchup (D1 average break % 42.5%). Ratings use the whole season, including this match. Gold = actual result.

Top plays

Largest win-probability swings

01
KJ JohnsonAttack error+1.7%
Attack error by KJ Johnson
Set 1 · URI 2-4 MERMCK · MERMCK 16% → 18%
02
MerrimackAce+1.5%
Merrimack ace on Cara Richter
Set 1 · URI 6-6 MERMCK · MERMCK 13% → 15%
03
Emily SawyerBlock+1.5%
Mckenna Shotwell stuffed by Emily Sawyer
Set 1 · URI 4-4 MERMCK · URI 83% → 85%
04
Devon LoweBad set+1.4%
Bad set by Devon Lowe
Set 1 · URI 5-4 MERMCK · URI 85% → 86%
05
Maiella BlandinAttack error+1.3%
Attack error by Maiella Blandin
Set 1 · URI 8-6 MERMCK · URI 86% → 88%
06
Maiella BlandinKill+1.3%
Kill by Maiella Blandin (set by Devon Lowe)
Set 1 · URI 2-3 MERMCK · MERMCK 15% → 16%
07
McKenna MeltonBad set+1.3%
Bad set by McKenna Melton
Set 1 · URI 12-10 MERMCK · MERMCK 11% → 12%
08
MerrimackService error+1.3%
Merrimack service error
Set 1 · URI 3-4 MERMCK · URI 82% → 83%

Box score

Official NCAA box

Rhode Islandaway

Player	S	K	E	TA	Hit%	AST	SA	SE	DIG	RE	BS	BA	BLK	PTS
6KJ JohnsonMB	3	6	4	13	.154	0	1	0	5	0	0	2	1	8
12Chloe AbutoOH	3	2	1	9	.111	0	0	0	2	0	3	1	3.5	5.5
10Erika BraceyOH	3	4	2	6	.333	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	1.5	5.5
17Cara RichterOH	3	3	3	11	.000	0	2	1	4	3	0	0	0	5
2Jahan LalliS	3	0	0	0	–	12	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	1
3Sydney HouchensOH	3	0	0	0	–	0	1	0	3	0	0	0	0	1
7McKenna MeltonOH	3	9	1	12	.667	0	0	0	5	0	1	1	1.5	10.5
18Emily SawyerMB	3	6	3	19	.158	0	0	0	1	0	3	1	3.5	9.5
20Dakota HenryL/DS	3	0	0	0	–	3	5	0	3	1	0	0	0	5
16Ema StermenskaS	3	0	0	0	–	13	2	0	6	0	0	0	0	2
5Cansu KornosorL/DS	2	0	0	0	–	1	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
13Havyn RolleOH	1	0	0	0	–	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Team totals		30	14	70	.229	29	12	1	34	6	8	6	11	75

Merrimackhome

Player	S	K	E	TA	Hit%	AST	SA	SE	DIG	RE	BS	BA	BLK	PTS
8Jocelyn HammerstrandOPP	3	6	6	23	.000	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	0.5	6.5
17Kaitlyn OxceusOH	3	1	0	4	.250	0	4	2	0	0	0	1	0.5	5.5
10Mckenna ShotwellOH	3	3	8	28	-.179	1	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	4
13Mia IzzoMB	3	1	0	4	.250	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	1.5	2.5
19Elizabeth KenneyS	2	0	0	1	.000	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
7Tamilore AfolaluOH	2	0	1	5	-.200	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0
18Sienna FranksL/DS	3	2	0	2	1.000	0	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	2
12Ella MaldonadoL/DS	3	1	1	2	.000	1	0	0	7	5	0	0	0	1
9Avry BryantOPP	3	0	1	2	-.500	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15Gabrielle MooreS	3	0	0	0	–	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
2Natalia ZelubowskiOH	2	2	2	6	.000	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	0.5	2.5
14Maiella BlandinOH	2	1	3	4	-.500	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
3Sophia DeBonisS	2	1	0	3	.333	5	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	1
20Devon LoweS	2	0	0	2	.000	2	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
5Maddy FennessyL/DS	1	0	0	0	–	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Team totals		18	22	86	-.047	14	6	6	19	12	2	4	4	44

Starters listed first. BLK is the NCAA total: a solo counts 1, a block assist ½. Recaps and press releases usually quote solos + assists instead, so the same night can be reported as a bigger, whole number. The box score is the source for every counting stat on this page.

Momentum

Point differential by rally

Longest run 7 URI · MERMCK 5

Set 1

25-16

Longest run 5 URIMERMCK 2

Set 2

25-11

Longest run 7 URIMERMCK 2

Set 3

25-17

Longest run 6 URIMERMCK 5

Bars above the line = Merrimack leads, below = Rhode Island leads. Bright bars are points inside a run of 3+.

Rotations

Sideout and break % by rotation slot

Rhode Island

Slot	Sideout %	Break %
1	36%4/11	56%5/9
2	100%4/4	60%6/10
3	75%3/4	50%3/6
4	75%3/4	70%7/10
5	43%3/7	73%8/11
6	67%2/3	50%2/4
All	58%19/33	62%31/50

Merrimack

Slot	Sideout %	Break %
1	44%4/9	33%1/3
2	40%4/10	64%7/11
3	50%3/6	0%0/4
4	30%3/10	25%1/4
5	27%3/11	25%1/4
6	50%2/4	57%4/7
All	38%19/50	42%14/33

Slot = rotations since the start of the set (slot 1 is the lineup a team opened the set in), not a fixed player alignment. Only clean sets count (2 of 3 here): sets where the NCAA play-by-play has gaps or score corrections are left out because the rotation can't be tracked through them.

Rally log

119 rallies

#	URI-MERMCK	Srv	Point	End	Player	Setter / blockers / passer	WP Δ
Set 1
1	0-1	URI	MERMCK	Bad set	Erika Bracey		+1.2
2	1-1	MERMCK	URI	Kill	Cara Richter	set Jahan Lalli	+1.1
3	1-2	URI	MERMCK	Attack err	Cara Richter		+1.3
4	2-2	MERMCK	URI	Kill	KJ Johnson	set Jahan Lalli	+1.2
5	2-3	URI	MERMCK	Kill	Maiella Blandin	set Devon Lowe	+1.3
6	2-4	MERMCK	MERMCK	Attack err	KJ Johnson		+1.7
7	3-4	MERMCK	URI×4	Serve err	Merrimack		+1.3
8	4-4	URI	URI×4	Blocked	Mckenna Shotwell	blk Emily Sawyer	+1.5
9	5-4	URI	URI×4	Bad set	Devon Lowe		+1.4
10	6-4	URI	URI×4	Ace	Rhode Island		+1.3
11	6-5	URI	MERMCK	Attack err	Emily Sawyer		+1.1
12	6-6	MERMCK	MERMCK	Ace	Merrimack	aced Cara Richter	+1.5
13	7-6	MERMCK	URI×5	Kill	Emily Sawyer	set Ema Stermenska	+1.2
14	8-6	URI	URI×5	Attack err	Maiella Blandin		+1.3
15	9-6	URI	URI×5	Kill	McKenna Melton	set Ema Stermenska	+1.2
16	10-6	URI	URI×5	Kill	Emily Sawyer	set Ema Stermenska	+1.0
17	11-6	URI	URI×5	Bad set	Kaitlyn Oxceus		+0.8
18	11-7	URI	MERMCK	Attack err	Chloe Abuto		+0.6
19	11-8	MERMCK	MERMCK	Ace	Merrimack	aced Cara Richter	+1.0
20	12-8	MERMCK	URI	Kill	Emily Sawyer	set Ema Stermenska	+0.9
21	12-9	URI	MERMCK	Kill	Mckenna Shotwell	set Elizabeth Kenney	+0.8
22	12-10	MERMCK	MERMCK	Bad set	McKenna Melton		+1.3
23	13-10	MERMCK	URI×3	Kill	Erika Bracey	set Jahan Lalli	+1.1
24	14-10	URI	URI×3	Blocked	Tamilore Afolalu	blk Chloe Abuto, Erika Bracey	+1.1
25	15-10	URI	URI×3	Blocked	Jocelyn Hammerstrand	blk Chloe Abuto	+0.9
26	15-11	URI	MERMCK	Kill	Jocelyn Hammerstrand	set Elizabeth Kenney	+0.6
27	16-11	MERMCK	URI	Kill	Cara Richter	set Jahan Lalli	+0.7
28	16-12	URI	MERMCK	Kill	Mia Izzo	set Elizabeth Kenney	+0.6
29	17-12	MERMCK	URI	Attack err	Ella Maldonado		+0.8
30	17-13	URI	MERMCK	Bad set	Sydney Houchens		+0.6
31	18-13	MERMCK	URI×4	Kill	KJ Johnson	set Ema Stermenska	+0.8
32	19-13	URI	URI×4	Ace	Rhode Island	aced Ella Maldonado	+0.6
33	20-13	URI	URI×4	Kill	McKenna Melton	set Dakota Henry	+0.4
34	21-13	URI	URI×4	Kill	KJ Johnson	set Devon Lowe	+0.2
35	21-14	URI	MERMCK	Kill	Mckenna Shotwell	set Ella Maldonado	+0.1
36	22-14	MERMCK	URI×3	Blocked	Mckenna Shotwell	blk Emily Sawyer	+0.1
37	23-14	URI	URI×3	Kill	McKenna Melton	set Ema Stermenska	+0.1
38	24-14	URI	URI×3	Kill	McKenna Melton	set Ema Stermenska	·
39	24-15	URI	MERMCK	Kill	Kaitlyn Oxceus	set Devon Lowe	·
40	24-16	MERMCK	MERMCK	Kill	Jocelyn Hammerstrand	set Elizabeth Kenney	·
41	25-16	MERMCK	URI	Kill	Emily Sawyer	set Ema Stermenska	·
Set 2
1	1-0	MERMCK	URI	Kill	Chloe Abuto	set Jahan Lalli	+0.7
2	1-1	URI	MERMCK	Attack err	Erika Bracey		+0.8
3	2-1	MERMCK	URI	Kill	Erika Bracey	set Dakota Henry	+0.8
4	2-2	URI	MERMCK	Kill	Jocelyn Hammerstrand	set Sophia DeBonis	+0.8
5	3-2	MERMCK	URI×3	Kill	KJ Johnson	set Ema Stermenska	+0.8
6	4-2	URI	URI×3	Attack err	Mckenna Shotwell		+0.9
7	5-2	URI	URI×3	Kill	Emily Sawyer	set Dakota Henry	+0.8
8	5-3	URI	MERMCK	Kill	Jocelyn Hammerstrand	set Sophia DeBonis	+0.7
9	5-4	MERMCK	MERMCK	Attack err	KJ Johnson		+0.9
10	6-4	MERMCK	URI×7	Kill	McKenna Melton	set Ema Stermenska	+0.8
11	7-4	URI	URI×7	Attack err	Mckenna Shotwell		+0.8
12	8-4	URI	URI×7	Bad set	Mia Izzo		+0.7
13	9-4	URI	URI×7	Attack err	Maiella Blandin		+0.6
14	10-4	URI	URI×7	Kill	McKenna Melton	set Ema Stermenska	+0.5
15	11-4	URI	URI×7	Kill	Chloe Abuto	set Ema Stermenska	+0.3
16	12-4	URI	URI×7	Ace	Rhode Island	aced Ella Maldonado	+0.2
17	12-5	URI	MERMCK	Kill	Mckenna Shotwell	set Devon Lowe	+0.2
18	12-6	MERMCK	MERMCK	Attack err	McKenna Melton		+0.3
19	13-6	MERMCK	URI	Attack err	Maiella Blandin		+0.3
20	13-7	URI	MERMCK	Kill	Sienna Franks	set Kaitlyn Oxceus	+0.2
21	14-7	MERMCK	URI	Kill	McKenna Melton	set Jahan Lalli	+0.3
22	15-7	URI	URI	Blocked	Jocelyn Hammerstrand	blk Chloe Abuto	+0.2
23	15-8	URI	MERMCK	Blocked	Cara Richter	blk Kaitlyn Oxceus, Jocelyn Hammerstrand	+0.1
24	16-8	MERMCK	URI×5	Serve err	Merrimack		+0.2
25	17-8	URI	URI×5	Ace	Rhode Island	aced Natalia Zelubowski	+0.1
26	18-8		URI	NCAA feed gap1 point not loggedWhy? The NCAA play-by-play skipped these points: the score changed but no play was logged, so we know who won each point, not how. They count in the score, momentum and win probability, but no player is credited. Box-score stats come from the official box score and are unaffected.			+0.1
27	19-8	URI	URI×5	Ace	Rhode Island	aced Ella Maldonado	·
28	20-8	URI	URI×5	Attack err	Jocelyn Hammerstrand		·
29	20-9	URI	MERMCK	Kill	Natalia Zelubowski	set Sophia DeBonis	·
30	20-10	MERMCK	MERMCK	Blocked	KJ Johnson	blk Mia Izzo	·
31	21-10	MERMCK	URI×4	Serve err	Merrimack		·
32	22-10	URI	URI×4	Ace	Rhode Island	aced Ella Maldonado	·
33	23-10	URI	URI×4	Attack err	Jocelyn Hammerstrand		·
34	24-10	URI	URI×4	Attack err	Jocelyn Hammerstrand		·
35	24-11	URI	MERMCK	Blocked	Emily Sawyer	blk Natalia Zelubowski, Mia Izzo	·
36	25-11	MERMCK	URI	Serve err	Merrimack		·
Set 3
1	1-0	URI	URI×3	Blocked	Jocelyn Hammerstrand	blk Chloe Abuto	+0.4
2	2-0	URI	URI×3	Ace	Rhode Island		+0.4
3	3-0	URI	URI×3	Attack err	Natalia Zelubowski		+0.4
4	3-1	URI	MERMCK×4	Kill	Sophia DeBonis		+0.3
5	3-2	MERMCK	MERMCK×4	Ace	Merrimack	aced Cara Richter	+0.4
6	3-3	MERMCK	MERMCK×4	Ace	Merrimack		+0.5
7	3-4	MERMCK	MERMCK×4	Kill	Jocelyn Hammerstrand	set Sophia DeBonis	+0.5
8	4-4	MERMCK	URI×6	Serve err	Merrimack		+0.4
9	5-4	URI	URI×6	Ace	Rhode Island		+0.5
10	6-4	URI	URI×6	Bad set	Sophia DeBonis		+0.4
11	7-4	URI	URI×6	Ace	Rhode Island	aced Ella Maldonado	+0.4
12	8-4	URI	URI×6	Kill	Erika Bracey	set Jahan Lalli	+0.3
13	9-4	URI	URI×6	Kill	Cara Richter	set Jahan Lalli	+0.3
14	9-5	URI	MERMCK	Attack err	Cara Richter		+0.2
15	10-5	MERMCK	URI×3	Kill	KJ Johnson	set Jahan Lalli	+0.2
16	11-5	URI	URI×3	Blocked	Mckenna Shotwell	blk Emily Sawyer, KJ Johnson	+0.2
17	12-5	URI	URI×3	Ace	Rhode Island	aced Gabrielle Moore	+0.2
18	12-6	URI	MERMCK	Kill	Natalia Zelubowski	set Elizabeth Kenney	+0.1
19	13-6	MERMCK	URI	Serve err	Merrimack		+0.1
20	14-6	URI	URI	Blocked	Avry Bryant	blk KJ Johnson, McKenna Melton	+0.1
21	14-7	URI	MERMCK	Serve err	Cara Richter		+0.1
22	15-7	MERMCK	URI×3	Blocked	Mckenna Shotwell	blk Emily Sawyer	+0.1
23	16-7	URI	URI×3	Kill	McKenna Melton	set Cansu Kornosor	+0.1
24	17-7	URI	URI×3	Attack err	Mckenna Shotwell		·
25	17-8	URI	MERMCK×3	Attack err	KJ Johnson		·
26	17-9	MERMCK	MERMCK×3	Blocked	Emily Sawyer	blk Mckenna Shotwell	·
27	17-10	MERMCK	MERMCK×3	Kill	Sienna Franks	set Mckenna Shotwell	+0.1
28	18-10	MERMCK	URI×3	Kill	Emily Sawyer	set Ema Stermenska	+0.1
29	19-10	URI	URI×3	Ace	Rhode Island		+0.1
30	20-10	URI	URI×3	Blocked	Mckenna Shotwell	blk McKenna Melton	·
31	20-11	URI	MERMCK	Kill	Jocelyn Hammerstrand	set Sophia DeBonis	·
32	21-11	MERMCK	URI	Kill	McKenna Melton	set Jahan Lalli	·
33	21-12	URI	MERMCK×5	Kill	Ella Maldonado		·
34	21-13	MERMCK	MERMCK×5	Ace	Merrimack		·
35	21-14	MERMCK	MERMCK×5	Bad set	Dakota Henry		·
36	21-15	MERMCK	MERMCK×5	Bad set	Jahan Lalli		+0.1
37	21-16	MERMCK	MERMCK×5	Ace	Merrimack	aced Dakota Henry	+0.1
38	22-16	MERMCK	URI	Kill	Erika Bracey	set Jahan Lalli	+0.1
39	23-16	URI	URI	Blocked	Natalia Zelubowski	blk Erika Bracey	+0.1
40	23-17	URI	MERMCK	Attack err	Erika Bracey		·
41	24-17	MERMCK	URI	Kill	KJ Johnson	set Jahan Lalli	·
42	25-17	URI	URI	Bad set	Mia Izzo		·

Score shown after each rally, Rhode Island first. WP Δ = match win-probability points gained, colored by the team that gained them.“NCAA feed gap” rows mark points the NCAA play-by-play never logged (tap Why? for details).

Rhode Island def. Merrimack 3–0