PROVIDENCE, R.I. --  Middle hitters Carly Balskus (Hebron) and Anna Barry (Andover) combined for seven kills with a .556 attack percentage in a 12-point win in the first set and the Eastern Connecticut State University women's volleyball team went on to its eighth straight win in  a four-set Little East Conference victory over Rhode Island College Tuesday night at the Murray Center. Scores were 25-13, 25-17, 21-25, 25-11.

With its seventh straight win over Rhode Island (9-8, 2-1 LEC) and third consecutive LEC victory this year, Eastern (12-4, 3-1 LEC) moves into a three-way tie for first place in the conference with Keene State College and UMass Boston. Tuesday, Keene swept Castleton University and UMB was idle. In road matches this year, Eastern swept UMass Boston and was swept by Keene State.

Rhode Island, which has lost 11 of its last 12 matches to Eastern, avoided a sweep by attacking at .406 in the third set, but Eastern never trailed in the fourth set, scoring the first five points and later racing to a 13-2 lead. Freshman libero Madison Bell (Salem) served the first six points during a 7-0 run that pushed the Eastern lead to 13-2 in that final set, with Barry, a freshman, and Balskus, a senior, and senior middle Jackie Orlowski (Woodstock) opening the run with kills and the Anchorwomen following with three straight attack errors.

Barry, named LEC Rookie-of-the-Week Monday, led Eastern with 13 kills and a .455 attack percentage on the evening that improved her team season-leading totals to 148 kills and a .376 attack percentage. Sophomore outside Alaetra Long (Lincoln, NE) followed with 11 kills, sophomore outside Abby Stern (Manchester) and Balskus chipping in eight kills each.

Junior setter Mckenzie Maneggia (Andover) had 20 assists, freshman Meg Verizzi (Lebanon) 16. Defensively, the Warriors were guilty of only three reception errors, led by Long (perfect on 22 attempts) and Stern (one error on 19 tries). Bell totaled 21 digs, Long nine and Stern seven. Barry also contributed three block assists, giving her a team-high total of 31 blocks this season.

Rhode Island had swept Plymouth State and downed UMass Dartmouth in five in its first two LEC contests, but attacked at just .049 and had only a .909 reception percentage against the Warriors and is now 1-3 in its last four matches.

Saturday, Eastern hosts Castleton University in a conference match at noon before taking on Connecticut College in a non-conference match at 4 p.m. at Francis E. Geissler Gymnasium.