Box Score
Moon Township, Pa. ? On day two of the Robert Morris Invitational, the Colonials, led by sixth-year head coach Rob Thomas, bounced back with a win against Howard, 3-1, after falling to Elon and Youngstown State yesterday. In one of the best defensive performances by RMU this season, who as a team put up 68 digs, the Colonials were able to down the Howard Bison in four sets (25-20, 26-24, 16-25, 25-21).
Robert Morris started off the match strong, holding the lead throughout the entire set. The Bison were able to keep themselves in reach of the Colonials until senior outside hitter Emily Wolthuis (Byron Center, Mich. / South Christian) went back to the serving line and went on a five-point run. With a few clutch kills by sophomore outside hitter Charla Drabant (Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton North) and great defense by the team as a whole, Robert Morris was able to take a commanding 14-9 lead. Robert Morris continued to lead throughout the set and Wolthuis ended it with a kill and a service ace.
In set two, Robert Morris started off with a four-point lead, 6-2, but Howard was able to rally its way back into the game to get within one of the Colonials. For the rest of the second set the Bison and the Colonials were within one or two points of each other. At 25-24, in Robert Morris' favor, Drabant managed to put down a hard hit to earn the win at 26-24.
Howard entered set three re-energized and started off with the lead. RMU was able to recharge and come back to tie it, 7-7. However, that was the closest RMU would get to a lead in the third set, with Howard taking control and winning set three, 25-16, and forcing a fourth set.
Robert Morris had the answer in the final set of the match and took an 8-4 lead to start things off. Howard tied it up, 14-14, and was trying its best to force a set five. The Bison brought the score within two at 22-20, but a crucial kill by opposite hitter Cassie Lee (Vista, Calif. / Vista) and a block assist by Lee and sophomore middle blocker Jaye Hellmich (Costa Mesa, Calif. / Estancia) gave Robert Morris the 24-20 advantage. The Bison managed to earn one more point, but Lee decidedly put the match away with a kill to earn the 3-1 match victory.
Drabant and Wolthuis both finished with double-doubles, with Drabant posting 15 kills and 10 digs and Wolthuis racking up 11 kills and 14 digs. Lee finished the match with an identical pairing of nine digs and nine kills on a season-high .412 average, while sophomore middle blocker Amanda Graham (Melbourne, Fla. / Eau Gallie) also finished with nine kills on a .400 average to go along with two blocks. Hellmich grabbed a team-high four blocks, while senior libero Alaina Gibson (Muncie, Ind. / Muncie Burris) earned a match-high 19 digs. Freshman setter Alyssa Bennett (Ramona, Calif. / Ramona) also had a strong showing, tallying five kills on zero errors for a .556 average, 12 digs and a match-high 42 assists.
The Colonials are now 7-3 on the 2008 campaign and will close out the Robert Morris Invitational on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 1:00 p.m. when they face Saint Peter's at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
