Fairfield, Conn. - Senior captain Hannah Veith (Columbus, Ohio / Worthington) drilled a team-high 18 kills on just 28 attempts, hitting a match-best .607, to lead the Robert Morris University volleyball team to a four-set victory over host Sacred Heart, handing the Pioneers their first Northeast Conference (NEC) loss of the season Saturday evening at the Pitt Center.

The win for RMU was just the second by a team at the Pitt Center in Sacred Heart's past 24 home matches and also just the second loss for the Pioneers in their past 17 home matches against NEC foes. Both of those Sacred Heart losses to conference opponents have come to Robert Morris.

RMU continued a theme of the recent past meetings between the Colonials and Pioneers by posting a dominating advantage in the blocking department. Robert Morris registered a 13-3 cushion in blocks Saturday, marking its sixth-consecutive regular-season meeting against Sacred Heart in which it has tallied double-figure blocks--in those six affairs, RMU has outblocked Sacred Heart by a combined 83-25 margin.

"Our blocking was really the key today," head coach Dale Starr said. "Hannah Veith had a great match and stepped up like you want to see your seniors do in big matches. I'm really proud of the team and the way in which we maintained our composure after faltering a bit in the second set. We could have folded the tent in, but we kept at it. Now we just have to make sure to stay focused and carry this effort into tomorrow."

Veith's 18 kills marked her highest ever output away from home and was the fifth straight match in which she racked up double-figure kills, a new career-long streak. She has now reached double digits in eight of her past nine and 15 of her past 19 matches overall. Veith, who also posted a match-high nine blocks, has now hit at least .400 in seven of her past nine matches, including exceeding the .600 mark on three occasions in that stretch.

Veith helped Robert Morris hit at a .277 percentage for the match, the highest percentage Sacred Heart has allowed in its past 29 NEC matches.

Junior Lindsey Monger (Rising Sun, Md. / Rising Sun) posted her team-leading 11th double-double of the season on the strength of 15 kills and a team-best 14 digs. Monger now has six double-doubles in her past seven matches and has tallied double-figure digs in nine consecutive matches.

"Even though it may not have been reflected in our dig totals, I thought our defense played well behind the block," Starr said. "I also thought Lindsey and Erica took some big swings when we really needed them that helped us prevail."

The first set between the two 2010 NEC Championship participants was incredibly tight as it featured a total of 16 ties with neither side leading by more than three points. With Sacred Heart up by three, 15-12, and hoping to extend its lead, Veith led Robert Morris on a 7-2 spurt to take the Colonials' first lead of the match as she notched four kills and two blocks to factor into six of the seven Colonial points won during the stretch. The set was soon tied, 19-19, and from that point forward, neither team led by more than a single point until the game ended. The Pioneers had set points at 24-23 and 25-24, but both were saved by RMU with kills from freshman Erica Robb (Novi, Mich. / Novi) and Veith, respectively. A kill by Monger gave RMU a 27-26 lead, and the Colonials wrapped up the set when the Pioneers committed an error.

The second set started closely as the squads split the opening 14 points before Sacred Heart was able to open a significant advantage. The Pioneers used a 13-2 run to take control of the set, a margin sizeable enough for the hosts to cruise to the set victory, evening the match.

After getting dealt a blow in the second set, Robert Morris showed no signs of giving in as the Colonials held the lead throughout the majority of the third set. Similar to the second stanza, the teams split the opening 14 points. Robert Morris would then open up multiple three-point leads over the ensuing 20 points, but the Pioneers were able to knot the match at 17 as the points grew tighter. The Colonials' two outside hitters then helped them to a 7-3 spurt, with each providing two kills, giving the guests four set points. Sacred Heart was able to save the entire quartet, once again necessitating extra points to decide the set. With the teams knotted at 25, freshman Hannah Hoffman (Parker, Colo. / Ponderosa) teamed up with a Colonial middle blocker on consecutive points, notching back-to-back blocks to give RMU the set win.

RMU and Sacred Heart again split the first 14 exchanges to open the fourth set, but this time Robert Morris proceeded to go on an important run. The Colonials won eight of the next 10 points as Veith had three kills and a block while junior Amanda Craig (Houston, Texas / St. Agnes Academy) added two kills and a block during the stretch. The Colonials pushed their lead up to eight before the Pioneers attempted a final comeback. Sacred Heart cut the RMU lead to 23-21, but two upperclassmen, Veith and Monger, stepped up with kills on the final two points, to knock off the defending league champions.

Hoffman contributed a team-best 43 assists, topping 40 for the fourth time in five matches, and also topped her previous season high with five blocks. Robb posted eight kills, eight digs and four blocks for RMU while Craig tallied seven kills on 15 attempts with three blocks.

Veith's .607 percentage was her best ever against Sacred Heart while she reset her career high for combined kills and blocks with 27.

Freshman Melissa Bograd (Lemont, Ill. / Lemont) and junior Andrea Catucci (Davidsonville, Md. / Archbishop Spalding) aided the RMU defensive effort by posting 11 and nine digs, respectively.

Robert Morris will look to continue its recent strong play as it continues its four-match roadtrip Sunday. RMU has a quick turnaround as it faces Quinnipiac Sunday, Oct. 16, at 2:00 p.m.