Box Score

Hackensack, N.J. - The Robert Morris University women's volleyball team opened the Northeast Conference portion of its 2013 schedule with an afternoon contest at Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday.  The Colonials would pick up their first win of the season as they swept the Knights in straight sets; 25-23, 25-19, 29-27.  The victory gave head coach Dale Starr his 50th win in his fourth season at RMU.

Robert Morris (1-14, 1-0 NEC) opened the match with the first three points after a kill by Sydney Sizemore (Taylor Mill, Ky. / Holy Cross) for the first point of the set.  Up 3-0, the Colonials would allow Fairleigh Dickinson (1-13, 0-1 NEC) to take the lead after a five-point run as RMU faced a two-point deficit, 11-9.  The two teams would trade points until the Colonials would take four consecutive points that included two kills by Arden Fisher (Oakmont, Pa. / Riverview) to open up a 20-16 lead.  Only needing five points to take the first set, RMU would allow Fairleigh Dickinson to again tie the set, this time with the score 22-22.  With either team now needing just three points to take control of the opening set, the Colonials would make the most of their opportunity as they took three of the final four points in the set to win, 25-23.

The Colonials would allow FDU to take the first three points of the second set before taking the lead with the score 7-6.  Robert Morris would endure six points where the score was tied, but the Colonials were able to fend off any threat by the Knights.  A three-point run would make the score 12-9 before Fairleigh Dickinson answered to re-tie the score, 16-16.  RMU closed out the set with the final four points that included two kills by Leah Dunivan (Troy, Ohio / Miami East) to claim a 25-19 victory.

RMU started the third set with a five-point run and then followed that up by taking five more points in a row as the Colonials jumped out to a 10-5 advantage.  The second five-point run included two kills by Becky Jay (Parma, Ohio / Padua Franciscan).  Robert Morris would push its lead to six points with the score 15-9 before the Knight rallied to eventually tie the set, 22-22.  RMU would control the lead after a kill by Fisher made the score 23-22, but Fairleigh Dickinson responded to again tie the score.  After taking a 24-23 lead with a kill by Jay, the Colonials would serve for match point before the Knights responded with a kill to make the score 24-24.  For a third time, Robert Morris would hold the lead, this time 25-24, but could not close out the set after another kill from FDU.  The kill sparked the Knights who took the following point and had a chance to serve to force a fourth set, but the Colonials responded as freshman April Krivoniak (Greensburg, Pa. / Greater Latrobe) rose to the occasion with a kill.  After allowing Fairleigh Dickinson to make the score 27-26, the Colonials strung together three points to take the lead, the third set, and the match by a score of 29-27.  Krivoniak sealed the victory with her tenth kill of the match.
Three Colonials would record at least ten kills as Robert Morris hit .317 as a team in the NEC opener.  The attack was led by Fisher who picked up 17 kills en route to her seventh double-double that included 11 digs.  Krivoniak and Sizemore joined Fisher in making up the trio that led the RMU attack.  Melissa Bograd (Lemont, Ill. / Lemont) dug a match-high 19 balls on the defensive end to carry the team as the Colonials recorded just three blocks.

Robert Morris concludes its first NEC road trip of the season with a 2:00 p.m. contest at Sacred Heart on Sunday.