Kent, Ohio - Sept. 18, 2009 - The Robert Morris University Colonials put up a tough fight against the Butler Bulldogs in their second match of the Kent State/Mizuno Open, but lost in three by scores of 25-22, 25-18 and 25-19. The loss drops the Colonials to 3-10, while Butler improves to 10-6.
The Colonials dominated at the start of set one and earned a 7-1 lead. Sophomore Hannah Veith (Columbus, Ohio / Worthington) started things off with the first kill of the match, which was followed by a kill from senior Jessy Nelko (Aliquippa, Pa. / Hopewell). The Bulldogs were able to side out with a kill by Maureen Bamiro, but the Colonials tallied four more kills and a service ace to take the commanding lead. The Colonials continued to lead with sophomore setter Alyssa Bennett (Ramona, Calif. / Ramona) balancing a strong offense, as six different Colonials recorded multiple kills. However, Butler was finally able to catch up to the Colonials at 19-19. The two teams battled back and forth from that point, but Butler was able to steal the set with a 25-22 score.
Unlike the first set, Butler started things off with a 4-1 lead. Robert Morris was able to work their way back into the set and tie things up 8-8 with kills by Nelko, freshman Amanda Craig (Houston, Tex. / St. Agnes Academy) and junior Jaye Hellmich (Costa Mesa, Calif. / Estancia). The Bulldogs and the Colonials swapped points until 13-12 in the Bulldogs favor. Butler was able to convert on several plays and continued to expand its lead until the set ended with a Bulldog win at 25-18.
Robert Morris did not give up and came out with a sense of urgency in the third set. Veith started things out with a kill out of the middle, which was followed by back-to-back kills by Nelko and a service ace by Craig to grab a 4-0 lead. However, Butler answered right back and went on a four point run of their own to knot the score 4-4. Once again, the score bounced back and forth until Butler went on a three point run with the score tied at 10-10. The Colonials were able to tally a couple of side outs, but the Bulldogs recorded several more runs and went on the win 25-19 for the match win.
Nelko led the Colonials with nine kills on a .318 hitting percentage and added six digs. Hellmich tied a match high .625 hitting percentage on six kills and Craig tallied eight kills, one service ace and 10 digs. Bennett finished with a match high 33 assists and added four kills.
The Colonials wrap up the weekend at the Kent State/Mizuno Open tomorrow against Utah State at 11:00 a.m.
