Box Score Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University volleyball squad kicked off the home portion of its 2013 schedule with a match against Xavier on Friday evening.

Xavier (3-1) claimed the victory in the first game of the 2013 Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational after the two teams battled in three tightly contested sets; 25-22, 25-20, 25-23.  Robert Morris (0-4) was led by juniors Sydney Sizemore (Taylor Mill, Ky. / Holy Cross) and Erica Robb (Novi, Mich. / Novi) while still searching for its first win of the young season.

Robert Morris opened the match with the first two points before Xavier responded with three consecutive points of their own.  Throughout the first set, the two teams would be tied nine different times, including seven times before either team would reach ten points.  The Colonials were the team that would reach ten points first after Sizemore recorded one of her thirteen kills to hold a one-point advantage, 10-9.  The Musketeers would battle back and tie the set, 12-12, before taking control taking the lead on the next point.  RMU would rally to tie the set one more time, but the Colonials were unable to recapture the lead.  The set ended 25-22 in favor of the Musketeers after an attacking error by Robert Morris.

Xavier would control the second set, not allowing the Colonials to hold the lead once in the set.  The two teams would exchange the first four points of the set, but from there the Musketeers would slowly pull away from Robert Morris.  Despite a portion of the set where RMU would claim six of a possible seven points to pull within a single point with the score 13-12, the Colonials would drop the second set by a score of 25-20.

The Colonials Would hold the lead for the majority of the third set despite the two teams being tied eight times at different points in the set.  Aided by a kill and a service ace from April Krivoniak (Greensburg, Pa. / Greater Latrobe), an early four-point run would put RMU ahead, 8-4.  After four consecutive points by Xavier tied the match, Robert Morris responded with its second four-point run of the set to regain the lead.  After fending off the Musketeers' attack, the Colonials held a two-point advantage with the score 23-21.  Needing just two points to force a fourth set, RMU would instead allow Xavier to steal the set and the match by scoring the final five points to end the set, 25-23.

Sizemore was the only Colonial to record double-digit kills as her thirteen kills were the most by a player on either team.  Krivoniak complimented Sizemore's effort with nine kills while also being one of three Colonials to record ten or more kills; joining Robb and Melissa Bograd (Lemont, Ill. / Lemont) in the group.  Robb set a personal record with her match-high twenty digs while becoming the first Colonial to record twenty or more digs since Lindsey Monger achieved the same feat in last year's Invitational against Providence.

Robert Morris will take to the court tomorrow morning in their first of two matches on the day.  The Colonials will welcome Central Michigan to the Charles L. Sewall Center for an 11:00 a.m. match.  RMU will conclude the invitational with a night contest against cross-town rival Duquesne at 7:00 p.m.  Both of tomorrow's opponents met tonight with Duquesne taking the match in four sets.