Box Score Brooklyn, N.Y. - Freshman outside hitter Erica Robb (Novi, Mich. / Novi) and senior captain Hannah Veith (Columbus, Ohio / Worthington) led the offensive attack to help the Robert Morris University volleyball team to a 26-24, 25-17, 19-25, 25-16 victory over perennial league foe Long Island in each squad's Northeast Conference (NEC) opener Saturday afternoon at the Wellness Center.
The victory was RMU's fourth overall in its past five matches, its fourth-consecutive win over the Blackbirds and its 16th victory in its past 19 NEC matches.
"Erica and Hannah both made significant contributions on the offensive end that really helped us," head coach Dale Starr said. "Our blocking also came up big in the final set, and that was key in helping us seal the match. It feels good to start off conference play with a road win against one of the league's upper echelon teams, but we need to make sure we carry the energy we had this afternoon into tomorrow's match."
Robb drilled a career-high and match-high 18 kills and also recorded her second double-double of the season as the rookie tied for the match high with 14 digs. Her effort marked the most kills by a Colonial freshman in a match since the 2007 campaign.
Veith put down 14 kills on just 19 attempts to hit a match-best .632 and also added a match-high seven blocks. Coupled with her performance at Youngstown State Tuesday, Veith has now hit at least .600 in back-to-back matches for the first time in her career and also registered at least seven blocks in back-to-back matches for the first time ever. She has now tallied double-figure kill totals in nine of RMU's 12 September matches and also collected her best-ever kill total in seven career regular-season matches against Long Island.
Robert Morris totaled 10 blocks in the four-set affair, but RMU really came on as the match progressed as the Colonials notched an impressive seven rejections in the final clinching game.
Freshman setter Hannah Hoffman (Parker, Colo. / Ponderosa) helped orchestrate the attacks of Robb, Veith and the rest of the Colonials as she finished with a match-high 42 assists while tallying eight digs, three blocks and three kills on nine attempts.
The opening set was the tightest of the bunch, featuring 12 ties and six lead changes, with neither team leading by more than three points for the duration of the game. RMU took a slim 10-7 edge in the early going, but the Blackbirds soon evened the set at 14 apiece. The NEC rivals split the ensuing 14 points evenly to leave the game knotted, 21-21. Long Island won consecutive points to pull ahead by two and seemed on the verge of taking the set once it led 24-22. However, Robert Morris had other ideas. A kill by Veith saved the first set point, and RMU then forced a Blackbird error to knot the score once again, 24-24. Despite a Long Island timeout, the Colonials kept the momentum going thanks to another freshman. Middle blocker Becky Jay (Parma, Ohio / Padua Franciscan) put down kills on consecutive rallies to give Robert Morris a 26-24 victory by virtue of winning four consecutive points. RMU hit .394 in the opening game en route to the win.
The play continued to be back-and-forth in the beginning of the second set as neither side could open up a large lead. With the score deadlocked, 9-9, RMU won three straight to pull ahead and grab a lead which it would not relinquish. Robert Morris still led by two, 18-16, when it put together the first sustained run of the match for either side. The Colonials utilized a 7-1 run to take a commanding two-set lead, completing the deal with a kill by Hoffman.
Long Island grabbed a slim early edge in the third frame and would cling to it throughout as the Blackbirds took the first three points of the game and refused to concede the lead. Robert Morris cut the advantage to a single point on five occasions but was unable to break through. The hosts still led by three, 21-18, with the set winding down and then used a 4-1 spurt to extend the match.
After splitting the first four exchanges of the fourth set, Robert Morris won five consecutive points, courtesy of two kills and two blocks from Veith, to take control. That run was part of a larger string that saw RMU win 12 of 14 points to open up a double-figure cushion, 14-4. Although Long Island made multiple attempts at a comeback, the Colonials demonstrated poise in holding on and finishing the set with a sizeable nine-point edge.
Junior outside hitter Lindsey Monger (Rising Sun, Md. / Rising Sun) fell a kill shy of her team-leading sixth double-double as she put down nine kills and also had 11 digs. Jay notched a career-best six kills for RMU, hit .333 and also added a trio of blocks.
Robert Morris has now won each of its past four NEC openers.
Robert Morris finishes its three-match roadtrip Sunday as it pays a visit to St. Francis (N.Y.). First serve is set for 1:00 p.m. between the NEC foes.
