KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 8, 2025 – When the University of Rhode Island women’s volleyball team plays its first home match of the season on Monday, Sept. 15, a lot will look and feel differently from recent years. URI has made significant changes to its team culture, roster, and playing surface in Keaney Gymnasium.

Changing the culture

Whenever a new coach takes over a sports program, it takes a little time to fully implement a new system and philosophy. Now in his second season as the head coach of the URI women’s volleyball program, Ryan Sullivan, expects a new mentality to permeate the team. 

“We expect the culture change in our program to take effect early in the season,” said Sullivan. “While we expect to win every match we play, we know that’s an unrealistic goal. However, we know we’ll see increased competitiveness in our gameplay, and we hope to attain our goal of qualifying for the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships in November.”

Emma Vente has been on the volleyball team since 2021. Now, as a senior, she’s excited about the team’s potential.

“I have extremely high expectations for our team this year,” said Vente, who is from Burke, Virginia. “From the first day of the preseason, we’ve set a strong standard for how we want to train, compete, and represent the program. We’re focused and ready to show what we’re capable of.”

New players added

Almost half of the volleyball team’s roster is new to the program, with three freshmen and four transfers joining the nine returning players this season.

“When recruiting new players, we look for competitiveness, and a desire for a family atmosphere and positive culture,” said Sullivan. “We also want players who strive to continually increase their peak potential and have good time management skills, particularly in the classroom.”

Sullivan paired up the team’s more experienced players with players who were new to the program to promote mentorship and camaraderie. Vente’s mentee is junior transfer Jessica Parker.

“Our team really enjoys the mentorship aspect of our program,” said Vente. “I’ve been able to help Jess and other newcomers get familiar with URI and understand how our program works. Building these connections has also been extremely helpful for me. I’ve learned a lot about the volleyball systems they’ve run in the past, and their fresh perspectives have helped me make improvements to my game.”

Court gets new look

When supporters watch the volleyball team play at Keaney Gymnasium for the first time this season on Sept. 15 against Northwestern University, new players won’t be the only noticeable difference. The volleyball court has a completely new design.

The new design added the dark URI Blue to the surrounding of the court. The previous version of the URI ram logo was replaced by the updated ram logo and the wording on the outside of the court was simplified to more prominently promote “Rhode Island.”

The new design was led by URI Associate Athletic Director of Marketing Brigid St. Leger after the decision was made in January to proceed with a full resurfacing of the playing surface.

“Keaney Gym is truly a special place, and the makeover goes a long way in modernizing the space,” said Sullivan. “Our program is on the cusp of making a huge jump competitively and we felt that our athletes deserved to play and practice on a brand-new beautiful court.”

In addition to the redesign, the non-functioning bleachers located at the west end of the gym were removed, which reclaimed about four feet of floor space. The removal of the bleachers also revealed the wooden stage, which was part of the gym’s original design in 1953.

“The updates provide a much more visually pleasing look for fans watching in person or remotely without changing any of the allure that makes this historic gym unique,” said Sullivan.

“The changes bring new life to the gym and the volleyball program,” said Vente. “The improvements make our team feel supported by the athletic department and ready to compete at a new level.”

Fans who can’t attend the match in person on Sept. 15, can get their first look at the new court on ESPN+, which will be one of 11 URI matches streamed on the platform this season.