Moon Township, Pa. - The Robert Morris University volleyball team closed out the Duquesne / Robert Morris Invitational by winning both of their matches on Saturday for their first victories of the season.

The Colonials started the morning by hosting Norfolk State in a match they would take 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-16).  RMU was led by senior Lindsey Monger (Rising Sun, Md. / Rising Sun) as she posted a double-double (fifteen kills, thirteen digs) for the match.  Along with Monger, the Colonials were paced defensively by sophomore Melissa Bograd (Lemont, Ill. / Lemont) who tallied a team-high fourteen digs.

Set one was closely contested even though the Colonials never held the lead until the score was 22-21.  Norfolk State jumped out to an early 5-1 advantage and maintained the advantage until the 22-21 score.  The RMU advantage would be short-lived as the Spartans would take four of the next five points to take the set 23-25.

Robert Morris turned its forture around in the second set as they sprinted out to an 11-2 lead and never looked back.  Monger played a main role in the early lead as the Colonials netted five consecutive points when her at the line.  The Spartans would battle back to even the score at 18, but RMU would not relinquish the lead the entire match and eventually went on to win 25-22.  Sophomore Sydney Sizemore (Taylor Mill, Ky. / Holy Cross) helped push the Colonials over the top as she contributed four kills on seven attempts and also tallied a block assist.

Coming out of the intermission, both teams battled in another closely fought set.  Again, RMU rattled off a streak of over four points; this time with the service of Erica Robb (Novi, Mich. / Novi), the team scored the first five points of the set.  Very similar to the second set, Norfolk State would rally to tie the game, this time at 15 all.  The Colonials would not back down as they never surrendered the lead and battled to win the set 25-23.

In the fourth and final set, Robert Morris sustained another long point streak, this time the squad was able to string together eight consecutive points.  Bograd was able to contribute two service aces in the span of those eight points.  The Colonials came away with a rather easy fourth set victory by the score of 25-16.

In the nightcap of the invitational, the Colonials hosted the Providence Friars before sweeping them with set scores of 25-16, 25-23, and 25-19.  Monger registered her second double-double of the day with ten kills and twenty digs.

The first set saw an even start for both teams before RMU was able to pull away with senior Andrea Catucci (Davidsonville, Md. / Archbishop Spalding) serving the Colonials to five consecutive points.  With this run, Robert Morris would never look back as the took the first set 25-16.  Robb delivered five kills for the Colonials in the set as RMU as a team hit .278.

The second set proved to be the closest Providence would get to stealing a set away from the Colonials.  Both teams traded the lead early in the set before the Friars pulled ahead by four points on multiple occasions.  Down five with the score 15-20, Robert Morris again rallied behind the serves of Bograd to score the next six points to take the lead.  RMU maintained the advantage into the intermission as the won the second set 25-23.  Becky Jay (Parma, Ohio / Padua Franciscan) along with Robb and Monger all contributed four kills in the set.

The final set saw the Colonials hold the lead from the very beginning.  RMU would not allow the Friars to even tie the game as the held the opponent within five points for the majority of the set.  Robb again paced the Colonials with six kills on eleven attempts.  For the match Robb hit an even .300 with a game-high fifteen kills.

RMU's first wins of the season were highlighted by All-Tournament Team representitive Monger's consecutive double-doubles.  Her 33 digs on the day pushed her into the top-ten in program history for digs.  Her career total sits at 883.

The Colonials return to the court next weekend as they travel to Baltimore, Md. to take part in the Maddie Bingaman Memorial Tournament hosted by UMBC.  RMU's first game is against the host UMBC on Friday at 10:30 a.m.