Box Score Moon Township, Pa. - Junior Hannah Veith (Columbus, Ohio / Worthington) had another outstanding offensive performance, drilling a career-high, team season-high and match-high 19 kills, in helping the Robert Morris University volleyball team to its fourth consecutive victory, a 25-19, 25-16, 22-25, 25-18 win over visiting Central Connecticut State Sunday afternoon at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
The Colonials collected their fourth consecutive victory while simultaneously improving to 4-0 in Northeast Conference (NEC) competition.
Veith's 19 kills came on just 29 attempts as she hit a match-high .552 (min. five attempts). Veith has hit at least .420 in each match during RMU's winning streak and has a stretch of eight consecutive matches in which she has hit at least .350. She also has reached double digit kills in three consecutive matches for the first time in her career.
Senior captain Amanda Graham (Melbourne, Fla. / Eau Gallie) also reached double-figures in kills, knocking down 10, while registering a match-high seven blocks along with seven digs and two aces. Veith contributed four blocks as the Colonials continued their theme of outblocking their opponent, topping the Blue Devils, 11-6. In 19 matches this season, only opponent has managed to outblock RMU.
Senior captain Corinne Moser (Meyersdale, Pa. / Meyersdale) aided the defensive effort with a team season-high 18 digs while classmate Charla Drabant (Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton North) added 15 and sophomore Lindsey Monger (Rising Sun, Md. / Rising Sun) supplied 14.
RMU held the Blue Devils to a .075 hitting percentage after limiting Bryant to a -.052 mark Saturday. It is the first time in their last 35 matches that the Colonials have held consecutive opponents to percentages below .100. Robert Morris also held both opponents to percentages below .100 in every game of both matches.
The first 12 points of game one were relatively even as the Colonials collected seven of them to take a two-point edge, 7-5. RMU then went on a tear, winning eight straight points to blow the game open and take a 10-point lead. Though Central Connecticut slowly cut the deficit, it was never able to get closer than five points as the Colonials closed the game in which they never trailed with a Veith kill.
The second game started quite similar to the first as RMU took seven of the first 13 points and the Blue Devils trailed by just one. Robert Morris then ran off five consecutive points, helped by a kill and a block from Graham, to take a 12-6 lead. With the Colonials ahead by five, 14-9, they went on an 8-2 run, in which four players provided kills, to open up a 22-11 lead that proved insurmountable for the Blue Devils. Robert Morris hit an impressive .360 as a team in the second game.
Central Connecticut came out strong in game three, taking seven of the first nine points to claim an early five-point lead. After the Blue Devils had extended their lead to six, 16-10, RMU came roaring back with a 9-2 run to take the lead for the first time all game. Central Connecticut refused to go away as the teams would square the game at 21 before the Blue Devils took four of the final five points to extend the match.
The Colonials refused to let Central Connecticut continue its momentum in the beginning of game four as Robert Morris took each of the first six points, four of which were due to kills by Veith. RMU did not let the Blue Devils get closer than three the rest of the way and extended its lead to as many as 11 in closing out the game and match with relative ease.
Freshman Alex Deines (Centennial, Colo. / Littleton) had a team-high 25 assists while sophomore Andrea Catucci (Davidsonville, Md. / Archbishop Spalding) notched a career-high 22 for the Colonials.
Robert Morris will have the week off before heading back on the road for another pair of conference contests next weekend. The Colonials will travel to Connecticut, taking on Quinnipiac Saturday, Oct. 9, before facing co-NEC leader Sacred Heart, Sunday, Oct. 10.
