Match #1 – Saturday, November 15 – 1:00 PM
Robert Morris at St. Francis Brooklyn (2-26, 0-12 NEC)
Genovesi Center – Brooklyn, N.Y. Against the Terriers – With a three-set victory on Oct. 18, Robert Morris improved to 31-1 against St. Francis Brooklyn in its history. The Colonials' lone loss to SFC came on Oct. 16, 1994 in four sets, but RMU would get revenge in the NEC Tournament with a four-set victory of their own.
Scouting St. Francis Brooklyn – The Terriers have struggled under first-year head coach Abra Rummel, compiling an overall record of 2-26, with their wins coming against Quinnipiac and NJIT. Sophomore outside hitter Domenique Gerard leads the Terriers offensively with 179 kills and is the lone player to average two or more kills per set. Junior Kelly O'Halloran has set up the majority of those successful attacks, dishing out 516 assists. Defensively, senior outside hitter Ali Long paces the Terriers with 200 digs, while middle hitters Maggie Niu and Niehely Sosa have each collected 50 blocks on the season.
Match #2 – Sunday, November 16 – 1:00 PM
Robert Morris at LIU Brooklyn (21-6, 12-0 NEC)
Steinberg Wellness Center – Brooklyn, N.Y. Against the Blackbirds – Robert Morris fell to 20-19 all-time against LIU Brooklyn after a four-set defeat on Oct. 19, giving the Blackbirds their eight straight victory over the Colonials. RMU's last win over LIU came on Sept. 24, 2011 in four sets as
Erica Robb registered a double-double with 18 kills and 14 digs and Hannah Vieth added 14 kills on a .632 hitting percentage with seven blocks (1 solo, 6 assist).
Scouting LIU Brooklyn – The Blackbirds will clinch at least a share of their fourth consecutive NEC regular-season title with one victory this weekend. Outside of conference play, LIU Brooklyn has collected some big wins this season over No. 25 Michigan State and Alabama - both coming in five sets. Offensively, the Blackbirds are paced by two-time reigning NEC Player of the Year, Annika Foit. Foit has tallied 414 kills this season on a .234 hitting percentage and is one of two players in the conference - Tamara Ignjic being the other - who are averaging four or more kills per set. Senior setter Vera Djuric has dished out a NEC-high 1,029 assists this season, good for 10.61 per frame. Junior libero Adriana Vinas Joy leads the team with 456 digs and 30 service aces. Middle blockers Nicole Okeke and Mengdi Zhao have collected 96 (9 solo, 87 assist) and 77 (6 solo, 71 assist) blocks, respectively, while Djuric is a close third with 74 (2 solo, 72 assist).
Looking Ahead – Robert Morris will play in its 16th consecutive NEC Tournament next weekend and looks to bring home its first conference crown since 2003. The Colonials are currently projected to play Saint Francis U. - a team it has beaten in five sets on Oct. 10 and swept last weekend on Senior Day.
Goals Still in Grasp – The Colonials can clinch at least a share of their first NEC regular-season title since 2008 with two victories this weekend. However, in order to host the NEC Tournament for the first time since then, RMU must defeat LIU Brooklyn in three sets on Sunday, or beat the Blackbirds outright if they were to lose to Saint Francis U. on Saturday.
The Streaks Continue – With a five-set victory over Bryant on Nov. 2, Robert Morris clinched a spot in its 16th consecutive NEC Tournament. This streak is the conference's longest active one, dating back to 1999 when the Colonials advanced to their first NCAA Tournament.
In each of those 16 seasons, RMU has posted a winning record in conference play; the longest such streak of any NEC member, past or present. The Colonials extended this streak on Oct. 26 with a four-set victory at Sacred Heart.
Networking with the Colonials – Become a fan of the Colonials on Facebook by searching for the "Robert Morris Volleyball" page. Fans can also follow the Colonials on Twitter
@RMUVolleyball to get updates on the team throughout the season.
Blockin' Becky – After breaking the program's block assist record on Oct. 25 at Fairleigh Dickinson,
Becky Jay is within striking distance of the total block mark.
Jay has collected 450 total blocks in her career, 10 shy of tying the mark set by Kristie Tuxford (1992-95). The senior middle blocker has extended her block assist lead to 27 over Amanda Graham (2007-10) with 385, while her 65 solo blocks are good for ninth in the program record books.
Know Your Enemy –
Kristin Thompson tallied a team-high 15 kills on a .583 hitting percentage and added three blocks in Robert Morris' three-set sweep over St. Francis Brooklyn on Oct. 18.
Melissa Bograd,
Erica Robb, and
Arden Fisher each collected double-digit digs with 18, 15, and 12, respectively, while
Becky Jay led the Colonials with seven blocks (1 solo, 6 assist).
Thompson and Jay each picked up a team-high eight kills in a four-set loss to LIU Brooklyn on Oct. 19.
Sydney Sizemore added seven kills in the defeat, hitting at a .278 clip on the afternoon. Fisher led RMU with 22 digs, while the team collected 12.0 total blocks.
Can You Dig It? – For the third consecutive week, a Colonial took home NEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Erica Robb was the recipient on Monday after collecting 17 digs in three sets against Saint Francis U. this past Saturday.
Robb's 5.67 digs per set against the Red Flash upped her season average to 3.04. Her per set average in conference matches is at 3.83, which is good for 10th. The senior outside hitter currently sits in ninth all-time for career digs with 1,159. On Oct. 4, 2014 at Central Connecticut State, she became the ninth player to reach the 1,000 dig plateau.
Can't Knock the Hustle – The Colonials have hit their stride defensively since entering conference play, leading the NEC in blocks per set (3.04), total blocks (143.0), and total digs (845). RMU is also second in digs per set with a mark of 17.98 and opponent hitting percentage at .140.
Individually, in conference matches,
Becky Jay and
Kristin Thompson lead the NEC in blocks per set with respective marks of 1.51 and 1.40. Jay also paces the conference in total blocks (71.0) and block assists (63).
Melissa Bograd is second in total digs with 219 and third in digs per set with a mark of 4.66.
