NEC Tournament Semifinals – Saturday, November 22 – 5:30 PM
#2 Robert Morris vs. #3 Saint Francis U. (12-16, 8-6 NEC)
Steinberg Wellness Center – Brooklyn, N.Y. Against the Red Flash – Robert Morris moved to 53-9 over Saint Francis U. after sweeping the Red Flash for the eighth consecutive regular season. The Colonials defeated SFU in five sets on Oct. 10 and completed the sweep on Senior Day with a three-set victory on Nov. 8. The Red Flash earned their last win over RMU in the 2008 NEC Tournament, when they upset the top-seeded Colonials in five sets.
Scouting Saint Francis U. – After going 5-22 and missing the NEC Tournament last season, expectations weren't high in Loretto for 2014 - evidenced by their sixth-place standing in the Preseason Coaches' Poll. However, the Red Flash surprised the conference under first-year head coach Jason Kozak, going 8-6 in NEC play to nab the third seed in this weekend's tournament. Junior outside hitter Hannah Kutny leads the team with 303 kills and is averaging 3.16 per set, ranking sixth in the conference. Her classmate and fellow outside hitter Breanna Opera is tallying slighty more kills per set at 3.22, good for fifth in the NEC. Senior setter Alanna Blenkarn has assisted on the majority of those points as she has dished out 1,077 helpers, the second most in the conference. Freshman libero Jenna Veres is fifth among NEC student-athletes in digs with 455, while sophomore middle blocker Sophie Murdock commands the front line defense with 94 blocks (10 solo, 84 assist).
Previous Meetings:- Nov. 8, 2014: Robert Morris 3, Saint Francis U. 0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-19)- Oct. 10, 2014: Robert Morris 3, Saint Francis U. 2 (23-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-14, 15-12) Miss November – In the 2001 World Series, Derek Jeter hit an extra-inning, walk-off homerun to earn the nickname Mr. November. With the Colonial volleyball team gearing up for postseason play this weekend, is there anyone that might follow in the recently retired New York Yankees' shortstop's footsteps?
Kristin Thompson,
Becky Jay, and
Hannah Hoffman might have cases.
Thompson has been efficient offensively in two postseason contests. She has found the floor 10 times on 22 swings and misfired on two attempts for a hitting percentage of .364. Her fellow middle blocker has hit at a .367 clip in three NEC Tournament matches with 11 kills. Jay has also collected 12 block assists, 10 of which came in 2012 against Central Connecticut State. Meanwhile, Hoffman has dished out 85 assists, collected 27 digs, and tallied five kills in 10 postseason sets.
The Streaks Continue – Robert Morris will be playing in its 16th consecutive NEC Tournament after clinching a spot on Nov. 2 against Bryant. 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 and finished with a conference mark of 12-2 - their highest NEC winning percentage under
Dale Starr's tenure.
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 454 total blocks in her career, six shy of tying the mark set by Kristie Tuxford (1992-95). The senior middle blocker has extended her block assist lead to 30 over Amanda Graham (2007-10) with 385, while her 66 solo blocks are good for ninth in the program record books.
Know Your Enemy – In Robert Morris' two wins over Saint Francis U.,
Arden Fisher has shined the brightest with double-doubles in each match. Fisher tallied 15 kills and 21 digs in a five-set victory on Oct. 10, then collected 10 and 13 in a three-set sweep on Nov. 8.
April Krivoniak stuffed the stat sheet in the Oct. 10 meeting as she registered nine kills, 12 digs, and seven blocks (1 solo, 6 assist). Also excelling in that match was
Madelyn Betts, who connected on 12 of 22 swings with just a single error.
Can't Knock the Hustle – The Colonials have hit their stride defensively in conference play, leading the NEC in blocks per set (2.92), total blocks (155.0), and total digs (939). RMU is also second in digs per set with a mark of 17.72 and opponent hitting percentage at .150.
Individually, in conference matches,
Becky Jay and
Kristin Thompson are second and third in the NEC in blocks per set with respective marks of 1.42 and 1.36. Jay is also second in the conference in total blocks (75.0) and block assists (66).
Melissa Bograd is second in total digs with 242 and fourth in digs per set with a mark of 4.57.
