Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University volleyball team opened the Omni William Penn Invitational Friday by beating Delaware State, 3-0 (30-8, 30-20, 30-17), before falling in a hard fought match to Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW), 3-0 (30-27, 30-28, 32-30).
In the opening match two Colonials tallied double-digit kills while two more Colonials tallied at least five kills. Senior middle blocker Janette Schneider (Leetsdale, Pa. / Quaker Valley) and junior outside hitter Jennifer Stambaugh (Union Bridge, Md. / Francis Scott Key) each recorded 13 kills. Junior outside hitter / middle blocker Emily Wolthuis (Byron Center, Mich. / South Christian) chipped in with eight kills, while sophomore outside hitter Cassie Lee (Vista, Calif. / Vista) finished with five kills.
Junior setter Tawnya Storino (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Quaker Valley) lead the way for the Colonials with 30 assists. Sophomore and 2005 Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year winner Alaina Gibson (Muncie, Ind. / Muncie Burris) tallied a game high 15 digs.
The Colonials tallied 16 blocks, with Haley Schroeder (Kenmore, N.Y. / Kenmore West) having a hand in six of them. Storino also chipped in with four block assists.
Match two for the Colonials saw Wolthuis tally a double-double with 13 digs and a match high 13 kills, and one service ace. Schneider also finished with 11 kills and four blocks (one solo and three assisted). Also finishing with double-digit kills was Stambaugh who finished with 10 kills.
Storino lead the Colonials once again with 32 assists, while Gibson tallied her usual team high 31 digs.
Robert Morris, under the guidance of fourth-year head coach Rob Thomas, returns to action Sept. 2, when it concludes the Omni William Penn Invitational vs. Indiana State at 11:00 a.m. and Saint Francis (Pa.) at 7:30 p.m.
