Box Score New Britain, Conn. - The Robert Morris University volleyball team hit at a higher percentage and also notched more digs than host Central Connecticut State, but it was not enough for the Colonials to come away with a victory Sunday afternoon as the Blue Devils took a four-set decision in Northeast Conference (NEC) action at Detrick Gym.
One day after reaching 1,000 career kills, senior captain Hannah Veith (Columbus, Ohio / Worthington) showed no signs of a letting up as she nailed 13 kills without a single error to hit .565. Veith, who also notched a team-high four blocks to move her season total to 123, has now posted double-figure kills in 19 of her past 26 matches while hitting at least .450 in five of the squad's past eight matches. The 13 kills marked a new career high for the veteran when committing zero hitting errors.
Junior Lindsey Monger (Rising Sun, Md. / Rising Sun) also significantly aided the RMU offense by drilling a match-high 20 kills while adding 14 digs for her 16th double-double of the season. With her final kill of the day, Monger took sole possession of 10th place on Robert Morris' single-season kill list with her 358th of the campaign. She registered her fifth match of the season with at least 20 kills and fourth that came in fewer than five sets. Monger, who now has double-figure digs in 16 consecutive matches, has tallied 11 double-doubles in her past 14 outings.
Freshman Sydney Sizemore (Covington, Ky. / Holy Cross) had arguably the best performance of her initial collegiate season as she totaled a season-high 13 kills and a season-best three blocks while hitting at a .310 clip. It marked Sizemore's first-career double-digit kill match.
Monger, Sizemore and Veith all helped RMU record 63 kills as a team, tying its best mark in a match that did not go five sets since 2007.
Robert Morris won three straight points early in the first set to take a 5-2 advantage and would hold the lead for the remainder of the game. With the Colonials holding a 10-8 lead, RMU used a 5-1 run to gain some breathing room although the Blue Devils would try to fight back. Central Connecticut cut the lead to a single point on three occasions, including 21-20, but Robert Morris refused to concede the lead as the Colonials won three straight points to take a four-point advantage, which proved to be the final margin of the opening set.
The second set was by far the most back-and-forth of the quartet as it featured 16 ties and nine lead changes in all. RMU used a 6-2 run to rally from an 11-8 deficit to pull ahead by one point, a margin it kept intact until 20-19. The Blue Devils took six of the set's final eight points, though, to even the match.
RMU held the lead for much of the third set as it won three of the first four rallies and maintained that edge to a 17-15 advantage. However, Central Connecticut was able to gather just enough to pull ahead when it mattered as the Blue Devils won 10 of the next 16 points to grab a 25-23 victory in the game.
Central Connecticut tried to quickly finish the match by running away with the fourth game and started strong, running out to a 16-8 lead. Robert Morris refused to give in, though, and put together an 8-1 run to pull within 17-16. Central Connecticut was able to push its lead back to three and led 21-18, but the Colonials completed the comeback by winning three straight exchanges to even the set, 21-21. The Blue Devils took leads of 22-21, 23-22 and 24-23, but RMU won the following point each time to necessitate that the teams play onward. Central Connecticut finished the match with back-to-back points to claim a 26-24 decision.
Freshman Hannah Hoffman (Parker, Colo. / Ponderosa) moved into striking distance of 1100 assists for the year while also adding notable offensive contributions against the Blue Devils. The rookie had 39 assists and tied her season high with six kills, which came on just eight attempts, while also registering seven digs.
Freshman Melissa Bograd (Lemont, Ill. / Lemont) and junior Andrea Catucci (Davidsonville, Md. / Archbishop Spalding) both continued to aid RMU's defensive cause. Bograd collected her 12th straight match with double-figure digs by registering a team-high 16 while Catucci recorded a career-high 14 digs.
Freshman Erica Robb (Novi, Mich. / Novi) had 12 digs and six kills, tallying back-to-back double-figure dig matches for the second time this season, while classmate Regan Macomson (Hendersonville, N.C. / West Henderson) added four kills on just 10 attempts.
Robert Morris had already clinched its 13th-consecutive NEC Tournament berth and will be either the third or fourth seed for the league tournament in two weeks. RMU will wrap up its regular-season slate next Saturday and Sunday with home contests against Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart, respectively, matches which will be the final ones at home of Veith's career.
