Sports in Brief

Volleyball

Rams 23 23 30 17 – 1
Tigers 30 30 27 30 – 3

TOWSON, Md. – Senior Ludmila Francescatto recorded 17 kills and Renata Salvatori added eight and hit .353, yet the Rams dropped a 3-1 game at Towson Friday.

The loss snaps VCU’s two-match win streak and slips the Rams to 14-13 overall and 8-9 in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Rams are now locked in as the 6 seed for the upcoming CAA Tournament beginning this week at Hofstra University. They will open the tournament by playing the 3 seed in the quarterfinal round.

Towson is 21-8 overall and 12-5 in the league.

Sophomore Ana Luiza Bernardes de Borja had seven blocks and 10 kills, while senior Melissa Peterson kicked in six blocks, including a pair of solos. However, VCU struggled offensively, hitting .041 for the match. The Rams didn’t hit better than .065 in any of the four games.

Women’s Basketball

Rams 23 45 – 68
Blue Devils 29 18 – 47

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Three VCU players finished with 14 points apiece, and the Rams turned up the pressure on defense, forcing 15 second-half turnovers to pave the way for a 68-47 season-opening win over Central Connecticut State Friday at Detrick Gymnasium.

Trailing 29-23 at the half, the Rams picked up its defense flipping momentum to its favor. After the Blue Devils’ Jamilah Corbitt knocked down a jumper to open the period, the Rams went on an 11-0 run and forced 6 turnovers.

Junior Krystal Vaughn, senior Michele Cosel and freshman D’Andra Moss had 14 points each.

Sophomore Quanitra Hollingsworth added 11 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Her two blocks move her into a fifth-place tie with Jenny Hecht on the Rams’ career list with 66.

The Rams forced a total of 25 turnovers in the game and held a 43-34 edge on the boards. After misfiring on 16 of 22 shots in the first period, the Rams shot 47 percent, draining 15-of-32 attempts in the second.