Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University volleyball team hit at a higher percentage than visiting Bryant and recorded more assists, aces, digs and blocks than the Bulldogs, but it was not enough to come away with its sixth straight win as the hosts lost a heartbreaker in five sets Saturday afternoon in Northeast Conference (NEC) action at the Charles L. Sewall Center.

RMU put down 64 kills, its most in its past 92 regular-season matches, tallied its most assists in a home match since 2004 and hit .500 in the decisive fifth game, but the Colonials were just unable to find a winning formula.

Despite the defeat, some Colonials still put forth notable statistical performances, led by junior opposite hitter Amanda Craig's (Houston, Texas / St. Agnes Academy) career-high and match-high tying 17 kills. Craig did her damage on just 33 swings, hitting a match-best .515, to top the .400 mark for the fifth time this season. Her 17 kills also represented her best-ever mark against a conference foe.

Craig was frequently set up by freshman Hannah Hoffman (Parker, Colo. / Ponderosa) who recorded a match-high 58 assists, the most in a single match at RMU in over four years and the most by a Colonial against a conference opponent since 2003. Hoffman did not just organize the attack, she also contributed to it as she tallied five kills on 12 attempts without a single error and also notched seven digs.

Senior captain Hannah Veith (Columbus, Ohio / Worthington) also received numerous opportunities due to Hoffman's sets and took full advantage. The veteran tied Craig's match high of 17 kills, hit .424, and added a match-high eight blocks. She has now hit at least .400 in five of Robert Morris' past six matches and has tallied double-figure kills in 12 of the past 16 contests. Veith has 36 combined kills in her past two matches, a new career best, and also recorded her best-ever kill-block sum, combining for 25 on the afternoon.

With the score knotted 5-5 in the opening set, Robert Morris used a 8-1 run to take control and open up a 13-6 lead. Bryant cut the lead to three on one occasion, but the Bulldogs could not get any closer as RMU slightly extended its lead once more to comfortably take the first game, 25-18.

After the Colonials and Bulldogs split the first four exchanges of the second set, RMU won five of the next six points to take an early 7-3 lead. Robert Morris maintained that edge and extended it over the middle portion of the game, using a 4-1 spurt to claim its largest lead of the set, 19-11. Bryant began to fight back and would whittle the cushion down to two points on two occasions, but RMU held firm and won the final two points to take a two-set advantage with the 25-21 victory.

Bryant bounced back right away in the third game, taking five of the first six points. However, Robert Morris responded immediately by using a 6-2 run to even the score. The teams were then even for quite some time as they were tied at 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 before the Bulldogs suddenly opened up the set with a 9-2 run, taking a 22-15 edge. The Colonials cut the lead to four but ran out of time to pull even as Bryant was able to continue the match.

The fourth set was quite tight throughout as it featured 12 ties and neither side led by more than four points. After the teams evenly split the opening 28 points, Bryant used a 6-2 burst to claim a 20-16 advantage. Robert Morris would not go away easily, though, as it won five of the ensuing six points to pull even, 21-21. The teams were also tied at 22 before the Bulldogs won three of the next four to force a fifth set by a close 25-23 margin.

Bryant used the momentum on its side to break open a 4-4 fifth set and take an 11-6 lead. Robert Morris tried to fight its way back but still trailed by two, 14-12, with the visitors on the verge of victory. A kill and an ace saved two match points for Robert Morris, but Bryant finally was able to seal the deal with consecutive kills to finish the match with a 16-14 final set.

Junior outside hitter Lindsey Monger (Rising Sun, Md. / Rising Sun) recorded a match-high 24 digs, the second-highest output of her career and the second-best total by a Colonial this season. She added 12 kills to register her team-leading ninth double-double of the season, breaking her total from 2010 with 12 regular-season matches remaining.

Freshman Sydney Sizemore (Covington, Ky. / Holy Cross) tied her career high with eight kills while fellow rookie Becky Jay (Parma, Ohio / Padua Franciscan) notched four kills on just nine attempts.

RMU lost for just the second time in its past nine overall matches.

The Colonials will have a very quick turnaround as they look to get back on track as they host another NEC match Sunday afternoon. Robert Morris welcomes Central Connecticut State to the Sewall Center for a 1:00 p.m. first serve.