Brooklyn, N.Y. – The Robert Morris University volleyball team saw its season come to an end in the semifinals of the Northeast Conference Tournament.  The Colonials, who came in as the #2 seed, fell in four sets to the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils by the scores of 23-25, 17-25, 25-13,  21-25.

The Colonials would start the match splitting the first twelve points before the team would take an early advantage with the score 8-6.  The Blue Devils would fight back and take a lead of their own with the score 10-9.  RMU would respond and take the lead, 12-11.  The Colonials would push their lead to 15-12 before CCSU would call their first timeout of the set.  The Robert Morris lead would shrink to one point with the score 17-16 as the Colonials would use their first timeout of the set.  CCSU would take the next point coming out of the timeout, but Robert Morris would respond by taking the next two points to fend off the Blue Devil surge while holding a 19-17 lead.  The Blue Devils would again tie the match, but the Colonials would not allow the lead to be taken as they continued to hold a one-point advantage.  Central Connecticut State would take the lead with the score 21-22 and create a two-point lead with the score 22-24 as the Colonials would take their final timeout of the set.  Out of the timeout, Robert Morris would take one point before dropping the set 23-25.  The Colonials would manage six blocks in the set as senior Una Japundza (Rovinj, Croatia / Zvane Crnja) would have a hand in five of them.

To open the second set, the Colonials would take the first four of the first six points to create an early two-point cushion.  That lead would quickly evaporate as the Blue Devils would take the next three points to hold their first lead of the set with the score 4-5.  Robert Morris would then fall behind Central Connecticut State 5-9 before the team would use their first timeout of the second set.  Out of the timeout, the Colonials would drop the next two points before siding out with the score 6-11.  RMU would pull to within two points with the score 13-15 before CCSU would take their first timeout in the set.  The Colonials would come within one point of tying the set before taking their second timeout in the set with the score 17-21.  Out of the timeout, RMU would allow the Blue Devils to take the next four points to close out the set 17-25.  Sophomore Erica Robb (Novi, Mich. / Novi) would pace the Colonials with five kills in the set.

Out of the intermission, Robert Morris would take the first three points of the set to hold the very early lead.  After a single point by CCSU, the Colonials would three more points to force the Blue Devils to take an early timeout with the score 6-1.  Out of the timeout, RMU would take six consecutive points to create a 12-1 advantage over the Blue Devils as CCSU took their final timeout of the set.  The Colonials would allow six of the next seven points to go to CCSU before calling their first timeout of the set with the score 13-7.  The lead for the Colonials would shrink to four points with the score 15-11 before siding out.  With that side out, Robert Morris would go on a run of six consecutive points to push the score to 21-11.  RMU would take the set 25-13 as sophomore Sydney Sizemore (Covington, Ky. / Holy Cross) would tally five kills in the set for the Colonials.

Coming out for the fourth set, the Colonials would allow Central Connecticut State to take four of the first five points before siding out with the score 2-4.  Robert Morris would rally to tie the set with the score 7-7 as the front row of the Colonials put together two consecutive blocks.  RMU would hold its first lead of the set with the score 9-8 as the team strung together four consecutive points that would force a timeout to be called by CCSU with the score 11-8.    Out of the timeout, CCSU would tie the set with the score 11-11 as they took three consecutive points from the Colonials.  The Colonials would call a timeout down three with the score 13-16.  Out of the timeout, the two teams would trade points  as the Colonials could not cut into the three-point deficit.  With senior Andrea Catucci (Davidsonville, Md. / Archbishop Spalding) serving, the Colonials would record consecutive aces to cut pull within one point with the score 18-19 as the Blue Devils would call their final timeout of the set.  A service ace by Melissa Bograd (Lemont, Ill. / Lemont) would tie the set at 20-20.  Two consecutive points by the Blue Devils would force the Colonials to take their final timeout with the score 20-22.  The Colonials would drop the set after allowing the Blue Devils to score three of the final four points with the score 21-25.

Sophomore Becky Jay (Parma, Ohio / Padua Franciscan) tallied ten block assists in the match to set the single-season record for total blocks with 158 in her second season with the Colonials.  Sizemore would lead the team with ten kills in the match.  Sophomore Hannah Hoffman (Parker, Colo. / Ponderosa) would contribute 36 assists while converting four of her nine attacking attempts.  Four Robert Morris student-athletes would tally double-digit digs as senior Lindsey Monger (Rising Sun, Md. / Rising Sun) would lead the way with 16 digs.

RMU will have to fill the void of four seniors that all made significant contributions to the 2012 team.  With a roster of nine underclassmen, the squad will compete for the Colonials' 15th-straight NEC Tournament berth.