Box Score Pittsburgh, Pa. - The Robert Morris University volleyball team came out on the short end of a 3-0 result against Duquesne Tuesday evening at the A.J. Palumbo Center.
Senior captain Amanda Graham (Melbourne, Fla. / Eau Gallie), junior middle blocker Hannah Veith (Columbus, Ohio / Worthington) and sophomore opposite Amanda Craig (Houston, Texas / St. Agnes Academy) paced the RMU (3-8) offensive effort with six kills apiece.
Graham notched a season-high and match-high seven blocks, marking the second season in a row that she recorded seven rejections against the Dukes (9-3). Five of Graham's seven were block assists, leaving her just one block assist shy of tying the RMU career school record held by Janette Schneider (270).
Freshman Alex Deines (Centennial, Colo. / Littleton) recorded a team-high 16 assists while senior captain Corinne Moser (Meyersdale Pa. / Meyersdale) tallied a team-best 13 digs.
In the first game, the Dukes led just 11-10 before running off four consecutive points to open up a five-point advantage. Duquesne used this cushion to close out a 25-18 victory to take the early lead.
Robert Morris led early in game two, 7-6, before Duquesne ran off three straight points to take the lead for good. The Dukes then used a 4-0 run near the midpoint of the game to push their margin to six points at 17-11 before closing the game with a five point cushion.
The Colonials came out stronger in the third game, maintaining the lead throughout the early portion. RMU led 11-8 before the Dukes went on a 12-3 run to regain momentum. Duquesne held on to take the final game, 25-18.
Veith recorded six blocks and senior opposite Addie Jennings (Santa Barbara, Calif. / Dos Pueblos) added four, helping the Colonials total 14 blocks for the match. RMU limited the Dukes to just two blocks, marking the first time since September 2003 that Robert Morris garnered at least a 12-block advantage over its opponent. The Colonials' total of 14 comes on the heels of their 16-block performance against Colgate last Saturday, providing them with 30 blocks over their last two matches. Veith has notched 14 blocks in her last two matches, setting her new career high for blocks in two consecutive matches.
The Colonials will look to get back on track when they take part in the Pitt Blue and Gold Tournament this weekend. RMU opens play Friday morning with a contest against Eastern Illinois before tangling with the host Panthers Friday afternoon.
