Box Score Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University volleyball team put together one of its most complete performances in recent memory, posting notable numbers both offensively and defensively, as the Colonials trounced St. Francis (N.Y.), 25-5, 25-17, 25-12, in Northeast Conference (NEC) action Sunday afternoon at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
The Colonials conceded just 34 points in the match, their fewest ever since the NCAA made the change from 30 points being necessary to win a set. Robert Morris hit .351 for the match, its third output of at least .350 this season, while holding the Terriers to a -.059 figure, marking its best differential in the hitting percentage category since 2004. RMU also held St. Francis to just 16 kills for the entire match, a total that the hosts equaled in both the second set and the third set, the lowest such total allowed by the Colonials since 2007.
"I was proud of the way we came out," head coach Dale Starr said. "We played pretty well defensively today even though we didn't block as well as I hoped we would. Our hitting percentage, .351, is really solid and 56 digs in a three-game match is good. I was pleased with the way we came out defensively, and then our overall attitude, we were very relaxed and very confident in what we were trying to accomplish."
Senior captain Hannah Veith (Columbus, Ohio / Worthington) contributed match highs of 13 kills and a .632 hitting percentage, tallying a new career-best for kills in a three-set match. Veith, who is now hitting .450 in league matches this season, moved her career kill total to 990 and is on the precipice of becoming just the eighth Colonial in program history to reach 1,000 kills. The veteran has put down double-figure kills in 17 of her past 24 matches and has now hit at least .600 in five of the past 14 contests.
Veith was largely set up by freshman Hannah Hoffman (Parker, Colo. / Ponderosa) who registered her fifth double-double of the season on the strength of a match-high 33 assists and 10 digs. Hoffman also aided the effort offensively with four kills on nine attempts without an error (.444) and tallied two blocks. With her performance Saturday, Hoffman now has 991 assists on the season and is in line to become just the fifth Colonial in school history to record a 1,000-assist season.
Hoffman was one of four Colonials to reach double figures in digs Saturday as RMU posted 56 digs as a team, its best output in a NEC sweep since 2008.
Freshman Erica Robb (Novi, Mich. / Novi) had her most efficient match of her rookie season as she put down 11 kills on just 23 attempts, while adding five digs, to hit a season-best .348.
Robert Morris came out of the gate on fire as the Colonials opened up a huge lead by taking 16 of the first 18 points of the match, aided in part by four aces during the stretch. This massive cushion enabled the Colonials to cruise to the set victory, and, at the same time, claim the program's largest margin of victory in a set since the recent NCAA rule change. Robert Morris' easy victory was due to the vast hitting disparity as RMU hit .500 in the opening set and held the Terriers to a -.207 mark.
After dropping two of the first three exchanges in the second set, RMU won five straight points, four of which came on kills, to take a four-point edge. The Colonials still led by four, 11-7, when they won three more in a row to give themselves some breathing room. From that point forward, Robert Morris led by at least five and as many as 10 in taking a two-set lead.
St. Francis took three of the first four points in the final set before Robert Morris won six consecutive points, including two kills each from Robb and Veith, to take a 7-3 advantage. RMU extended its edge from 9-5 to 12-5 with three straight points and maintained that seven-point lead to 17-10. Robert Morris closed the match on an 8-2 run, in which Veith had three more kills, to complete the sweep. RMU had 16 kills in the final set while holding the Terriers to a mere two.
Junior Lindsey Monger (Rising Sun, Md. / Rising Sun) fell a kill shy of her 15th double-double of the season, but her 10 digs kept her streak of double-figure dig performances intact. Monger has now reached double-digits in the dig department in 14 consecutive matches.
Freshman Melissa Bograd (Lemont, Ill. / Lemont) is trying to keep up with Monger as her match-high 12 digs gave her 10 consecutive matches with double-figure digs. Junior Andrea Catucci (Davidsonville, Md. / Archbishop Spalding) helped the defensive cause with 10 digs and also posted a career-high four aces.
Freshman Regan Macomson (Hendersonville, N.C. / West Henderson) put down three kills on five attempts without an error to hit .600 and added a team-best three blocks. The rookie has now totaled nine blocks in her last eight sets.
The Colonials' victory was the program's 25th-consecutive win over St. Francis (N.Y.) and guaranteed Robert Morris a winning NEC record for the 13th-consecutive season, extending its own league record.
Robert Morris will take to the road for its final matches away from home of the regular season next weekend as it faces two squads which it lost to earlier this year in Bryant and Central Connecticut State. First serve is set for 1:00 p.m. on both Saturday, Nov. 5, and Sunday, Nov. 6.
