Hackensack, N.J. - The Robert Morris University volleyball team hit a season-high .337 and clinched its 12th consecutive Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament berth, the longest active such streak in the league, by winning its third NEC match in three days as the Colonials swept Fairleigh Dickinson, 25-8, 25-15, 25-22, Monday evening at Stratis Arena.

The victory assured Robert Morris of no worse than the third seed for the upcoming NEC Tournament. It marked the first time RMU won three NEC matches in a span of three days since October of 1996 and the first time the Colonials ever won three league matches all on the road in a span of three days. The victory was also Robert Morris' sixth consecutive against an NEC opponent, its longest such run since 2008.

"Our outsides played really well tonight along with our setters and our defense," head coach Dale Starr said. "Hannah and Lindsey had big nights, and Addie had another solid match as well. I'm really proud of how the girls handled themselves mentally on this trip. It was a tough trip both mentally and physically, and they tackled a challenging situation head-on and found a way to be successful."

Robert Morris hit an amazing .337 as a team, its highest percentage in its last 59 matches overall and its best mark in its last 39 road matches. The Colonials also put down 44 kills, a season high for a three-game match, and their best three-game output in their last 35 three-game matches.

Junior Hannah Veith (Columbus, Ohio / Worthington) paced the Colonial attack by posting a match-high .588 percentage as she tied the match-high with 10 kills, her 11th double-digit kill output of the season, and did not commit a single error. Veith has now at least .350 in every match during the team's conference winning streak and has hit at least .500 in six matches this season.

Sophomore Lindsey Monger (Rising Sun, Md. / Rising Sun) was next in line as she recorded her third double-double in her last four matches thanks in part to a career-high .474 hitting percentage. Monger tied the match high with 10 kills and posted a team-high 13 digs for RMU, the 11th time in her last 12 matches that she has reached double figures in digs. Senior captain Charla Drabant (Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton North) also contributed offensively by totaling eight kills and hitting a season-high .353 while adding 12 digs on the defensive end.

While it was racking up notable numbers on the offensive end, Robert Morris still managed to break a school record in another category. RMU totaled 10 block assists as a team Monday, pushing the 2010 squad's total to 412 for the season, and broke the single-season program record for block assists by a team. The Colonials outblocked Fairleigh Dickinson, 7-3, for the match.

Despite winning five-game matches on each of the last two days, Robert Morris jumped out very quickly in game one. The Colonials drilled kills on each of the first six points--Drabant provided three, senior captain Amanda Graham (Melbourne, Fla. / Eau Gallie) added two and sophomore Amanda Craig (Houston, Texas / St. Agnes Academy) contributed one--to get an early lead. After the Knights cut the lead to three at 7-4, Robert Morris exploded for eight consecutive points to open up a double-digit lead as four players supplied kills during the run.  RMU was not done pushing its advantage yet as the Colonials captured seven straight rallies to push a 16-6 edge into a 17-point cushion. The final 17-point margin of victory was the largest for Robert Morris in any game since the NCAA made the change from 30 points being necessary to win a game.

Fairleigh Dickinson was able to gather itself in game two and took six of the first nine points, before RMU again took control. After tying the match at 8, Robert Morris won four consecutive exchanges to give itself a lead which it would not relinquish. The Knights cut the lead to two at 14-12, but the Colonials refused to let it get any closer as RMU proceeded to go on an 11-2 run to finish the game.

After the teams split the first six points in game three, Robert Morris won five consecutive points, but the Knights immediately followed suit to tie the game, 8-8. With the teams still knotted at 12, the Colonials again won five straight points only to see Fairleigh Dickinson again match the feat. The teams would be tied at 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 before RMU finally was able to get some breathing room. Robert Morris actually took the final four points of the match to close out the sweep.

Graham continued her climb up the all-time career kills list at RMU and also added a match-high four blocks and two aces. With her total of seven kills Monday, she moved into sixth place on the career list with 1,050 kills.

Freshman Alex Deines (Centennial, Colo. / Littleton) and sophomore Andrea Catucci (Davidsonville, Md. / Archbishop Spalding) were responsible for aiding the great offensive show by RMU as the two combined for 34 assists on the evening.

The victory was the 13th consecutive win for RMU against the Knights, and the Colonials have only lost three games to Fairleigh Dickinson in that 13-match stretch.

With its grueling road trip now complete, the Colonials will return home for a pair of NEC matches this weekend. Robert Morris will take on conference-unbeaten Sacred Heart, who is currently riding a 19-match winning streak, to open the weekend Saturday, Nov. 6 before matching up with Quinnipiac Sunday, Nov. 7. First serve is set for 3:00 p.m. Saturday and 1:00 p.m. Sunday.