Box Score Fairfield, Conn. - After having its season ended by Long Island in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament Semifinals last season, the Robert Morris University volleyball team exacted revenge on the Blackbirds Saturday evening by eliminating the six-time defending tournament champions, 25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 23-25, 15-10, in the 2010 NEC Semifinals at Sacred Heart's W.H. Pitt Center.
With the win, Robert Morris advances to its 13th NEC tournament championship game, the most among all conference schools. The Colonials will take on No. 1 seed Sacred Heart Sunday afternoon for not only the tournament title, but also the league's automatic berth into the upcoming NCAA tournament.
Robert Morris used a tried and true formula to knock off Long Island for the third time this season as the Colonial blocking effort was a major decisive factor in the outcome. RMU, which has only been outblocked twice this season, recorded 19 blocks as a team, marking its highest single-match total in its last 246 matches. Additionally, junior Hannah Veith (Columbus, Ohio / Worthington) recorded a noteworthy individual milestone in the blocking department approximately 24 hours after she earned the first All-NEC award of her career.
Veith entered the match just two blocks shy of taking over the top spot in RMU's record book for single-season blocks. She wasted absolutely no time in climbing to the number one position as she recorded blocks on each of the first two points to break Rachel Leitch's single-season school record of 144. Veith finished the match by tying her career high and the team season high with 10 blocks and will enter the championship match with 153 total blocks on the season.
Veith was also one of the leaders on the offensive end for Robert Morris as the Colonials also set season bests in that area as well. RMU recorded 64 kills and 60 assists as a team, the highest totals in both categories for the Colonials in their past 76 matches. Veith had 14 kills and hit .355 while senior captain Amanda Graham (Melbourne, Fla. / Eau Gallie), fresh off her fourth All-NEC honor, put down a team-high 15 kills and hit an identical .355. Veith now has registered double-digit kills in 13 matches and hit at least .350 on 20 occasions this season while Graham has reached those marks 15 and 16 times, respectively. After topping her by one in the kill department, Graham finished right behind Veith in blocks as she tied her career high with nine.
While Graham and Veith have been strong contributors for the majority of the season, Robert Morris' victory may not have come about if not for a career match by another one of its seniors. Addie Jennings (Santa Barbara, Calif. / Dos Pueblos) collected a career-high eight kills on a mere 14 attempts to hit a career-high .500 (min. 10 attempts). Jennings also helped the RMU cause by rejecting a career-high nine balls, topping her previous career best by five blocks.
Robert Morris took the opening four points of the match as Veith combined with Jennings for blocks on the first two exchanges. Long Island chipped away and knotted the game at 12 but could not take the lead. With the squads still tied four points later, the Colonials ran off four straight points to take an 18-14 lead. The Blackbirds cut the deficit to one on two occasions with the final time occurring at 20-19. RMU went on a 5-1 run to close out game one as Veith provided three kills during the closing spurt, including on each of the final two points, to give RMU the game in which it never trailed.
After the teams split the first 12 points in game two, Long Island grabbed the lead by taking back-to-back points and never let go. The Blackbirds' lead would remain quite similar as it didn't move past three points until very late in the game. RMU pulled within a single point eight times but could not find the equalizer. Long Island finally took a four-point lead at 24-20 and held on to tie the match.
Long Island continued the momentum in the early part of game three by taking 11 of the first 16 points, which would prove to be the largest lead of the match for either team. With RMU still trailing by five, 13-8, the Colonials went on a 7-2 spurt in which four different players--senior Charla Drabant (Wheaton, Ill. / Wheaton North), sophomore Andrea Catucci (Davidsonville, Md. / Archbishop Spalding), sophomore Amanda Craig (Houston, Texas / St. Agnes Acadmey) and sophomore Lindsey Monger (Rising Sun, Md. / Rising Sun)--recorded kills and Veith added two blocks to tie the score, 15-15. The teams split the next eight points before Long Island retook the edge and found itself just two points from claiming the advantage in the match as it led 23-21. Veith came to the rescue for RMU as she collected two kills and a block as the Colonials won four consecutive rallies to pull out the come-from-behind victory.
The Blackbirds and Colonials split the opening 24 points of game four with neither leading by more than three. Long Island then used a 5-1 run to take a lead it would not relinquish. Although RMU closed a 20-16 Blackbird lead to 20-19, Long Island refused to give in and fought its way to a decisive fifth game.
Robert Morris was in trouble early as it dropped the first three points in the shortened fifth game. Suddenly, the Colonials sprang to life as they won five straight points with Graham providing two kills and a block during the run. Long Island soon evened the match, and the teams were tied at 6, 7 and 8 apiece. Drabant sparked a crucial Colonial run with a pair of kills. Graham added blocks on each of the next two points before Jennings put down a kill to give RMU a 13-8 lead. Long Island briefly stopped the run, but Graham was not to be denied. The senior used a solo block to give Robert Morris match point before sending the Colonials into the championship with her 15th kill of the evening.
Monger and Drabant both fell a kill shy of a double-double as the former added nine kills and a team-high 18 digs while the latter contributed nine kills and 11 digs. It was the 16th time in the last 17 matches that Monger has reached double figures in digs and the 20th time overall for Drabant.
Catucci and freshman Alex Deines (Centennial, Colo. / Littleton) helped setup the RMU attack combining for 54 assists in the match.
Graham moved into the top 10 in all-time games played at Robert Morris and is currently tied for ninth with 425. She also surpassed 300 kills for a season for the second time in her career.
Robert Morris will look to claim its league-best eighth NEC tournament title Sunday while facing top-seed Sacred Heart. The Pioneers are now 15-0 at home this season and last lost a match at home in their regular-season finale last season when they dropped a 3-1 decision to Robert Morris. First serve in the 2010 NEC Championship is set for 3:00 p.m.
