Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University volleyball squad was selected to finish second in the annual Northeast Conference (NEC) preseason coaches' poll.

The Colonials' position in the poll is consistent with their finish in 2012, but the makeup of this season's roster will be different after the departure of four seniors and a fifth letterwinner.  Guided by fourth-year head coach Dale Starr, the roster will be led by five juniors, most of whom have had a significant role since their freshman year.

LIU Brooklyn was voted the preseason favorite, earning six of the eight possible first-place votes.  Following the Colonials in the poll was Central Connecticut State, the only other program to garner first-place votes.  Sacred Heart was fourth in the polling, while Bryant and Saint Francis University tied for fifth.  Fairleigh Dickinson and St. Francis Brooklyn rounded out the voting in seventh and eighth place, respectively.

Robert Morris qualified for its 14th-consecutive postseason tournament in 2012, extending the league's longest active streak.  In each of those 14 seasons, the Colonials have posted a winning record in conference play; the longest such streak of any NEC member, past or present.

Junior middle blocker Becky Jay (Parma, Ohio / Padua Franciscan) returns after a sophomore season where she rewrote the blocking record books at Robert Morris while earning All-NEC Second Team accolades.  Playing in each of Robert Morris' 34 matches, Jay recorded 158 total blocks – 14 solo, 144 assists – a figure which led the NEC with an average of 1.34 blocks per set and ranked her in the top-30 in the NCAA.  Jay's .282 hitting percentage put her in the top-ten in the NEC while her 273 points were the second-most from any Colonial last season.

Also returning to the Colonials are juniors Melissa Bograd (Lemont, Ill. / Lemont), Hannah Hoffman (Parker, Colo. / Ponderosa), Erica Robb (Novi, Mich. / Novi), and Sydney Sizemore (Taylor Mill, Ky. / Holy Cross).

The Colonials will take to the court for the first time this season in two weeks when the team travels to participate in the Indiana Invitational.  The two-day invitational kicks off with a primetime match against Indiana on August 30 at 7:00 p.m.  RMU will take part in two matches the following day, going against Kent State and Rutgers to conclude the invitational.

1          LIU Brooklyn (6)
2          Robert Morris
3          Central Connecticut State (2)
4          Sacred Heart
T-5       Bryant
T-5       Saint Francis University
7          Fairleigh Dickinson
8          St. Francis Brooklyn