Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University volleyball team returned to Northeast Conference action as they hosted Central Connecticut State on Saturday afternoon.  The Colonials would come away victorious in four sets by the scores of 25-18, 25-23, 24-26, and 25-23.

To open the first set, RMU would score the first four points, including an ace by Melissa Bograd (Lemont, Ill. / Lemont), forcing CCSU to call an early timeout.  Robert Morris would stretch the lead to six points with the score 19-13 before the Blue Devils would call their second timeout of the set.  A short spurt of points from CCSU would cut the RMU lead, but the Colonials would take the set by the score of 25-18.  In the set, Robert Morris would hit .345 as a team as seniors Amanda Craig (Houston, Texas / St. Agnes Academy) and Lindsey Monger (Rising Sun, Md. / Rising Sun) led the team with four kills each.  Sophomores Becky Jay (Parma, Ohio / Padua Franciscan) and Sydney Sizemore (Covington, Ky. / Holy Cross) would each record a solo block for the Colonials.

In the second set, Central Connecticut State would take the early advantage, 6-1 before Robert Morris would take its first timeout of the set.  The Blue Devils advantage would grow to eight with the score 13-5 before RMU would attempt a comeback.  Four consecutive points would cut the Colonials' deficit to 13-9.  CCSU would rebound to make the score 11-18 as head coach Dale Starr would call the team's final timeout of the set.  RMU would come out of the timeout and take six of the next eight points to make the score 17-20 as the Blue Devils would take their first timeout.  Out of the timeout, the Colonials would four of the next five points to tie the set at 21.  CCSU would take their second timeout at that point, and the two teams would trade points until the Colonials strung together two points to take the set 25-23.  Monger would pace the Colonials in the second half with seven kills on thirteen attempts.  Jay would have a hand in three of the team's six blocks as she registered two more solo blocks along with a block assist in the set.

The Colonials would open the third set five of the first six points.  The five-point advantage would wither away to one point with the score 10-9 before Robert Morris would take three consecutive points, forcing Central Connecticut State to call a timeout.  Out of the timeout, CCSU would take the three of the next four points to trim the lead to two with the score 14-12.  RMU would push its lead up to four points with the score 19-15 before the Blue Devils would cut the lead to two.  Following an extended rally in which the Colonials capitalized on a mishit by CCSU, the Blue Devils would call their final timeout with the score 20-17.  Out of the timeout, the two teams would exchange the next six points before CCSU would take two consecutive points that would force the Colonials to take their first timeout of the set with the score 23-22.  The Blue Devils would tie the set coming out of the timeout and proceed to take the lead 24-23 before RMU would use their final timeout of the set.  The Colonials would extend the match on a Monger kill that would tie the set at 24.  CCSU would extend the match as they would take the next two points to end the set, 24-26.  Monger again led the offensive attack for the Colonials as she netted six kills.  Jay and sophomore Hannah Hoffman (Parker, Colo. / Ponderosa) would team up for each of RMU's four blocks in the set.  Jay tallied one solo block and teamed up with Hoffman as each recorded block assists on the other three blocks.

The fourth set saw the Blue Devils score the first two points before Robert Morris would answer with five points of their own.  CCSU would come back to tie the set at seven as the two teams would trade the lead multiple times as neither was able to maintain an advantage greater than a single point.  The two teams would share the lead 17 times with 11 different lead changes throughout the entire set.  With RMU holding a 23-22 advantage, the Blue Devils would take their first timeout of the set.  The Colonials would take the next point coming out of the timeout.  Facing set and match point, CCSU would use their second timeout to halt the momentum.  The Blue Devils would get that next point to make the score 24-23, but a block by Jay and Monger would give Robert Morris the set by a score of 25-23.  In the final set, Monger tallied five kills while five different Colonials recorded a block.

Multiple Colonials recorded career highs in the contest.  Bograd set a new career-high of five service aces in the contest and now has a team-high 22 aces on the season.  Hoffman set a new personal record of six blocks, all of which were block assists alongside Jay.  Jay tied a career high in total blocks (10), and solo blocks (4) as she now has 115 total blocks on the season.  Senior Una Japundza (Rovinj, Croatia / Zvane Crnja) notched four blocks which set a new high for her.  Monger tied a career-high 23 kills while recording her fifteenth double-double of the season.

Hoffman registered 48 assists on the 52 kills by the Colonials.  Four student-athletes tallied at least ten digs.  The group of Colonials was led by Monger who had 15 digs while Andrea Catucci (Davidsonville, Md. / Archbishop Spalding), Bograd, and Erica Robb (Novi, Mich. / Novi) each had 13, 12, and 11 digs respectively.

Three of the next four games for Robert Morris will be at the Charles L. Sewall Center as the Colonials will host Quinnipiac on Sunday afternoon for a 1:00 p.m. start.