Brooklyn, N.Y. – The
Robert Morris University volleyball team will be playing in its first Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship Game since 2010 as the Colonials defeated Saint Francis University in three sets this evening from the Steinberg Wellness Center.
Second-seeded Robert Morris (15-16, 12-2 NEC) put on a defensive clinic in the victory as third-seeded Saint Francis U. (12-17, 9-5 NEC) hit just .022 as a team.
Leading the charge was senior middle blocker
Becky Jay, who tied the program record for total blocks this evening. Jay collected six block assists in the match, pushing her career total in line with Kristie Tuxford's, who tallied 460 total blocks from 1992-95.
Jay also paced the Colonials offensively, hitting at an outstanding .625 clip with a team-high 11 kills. Her fellow middle blocker and All-NEC honoree
Kristin Thompson added seven kills on a .316 hitting percentage.
Senior outside hitter
Erica Robb led RMU as she collected 18, while classmate
Melissa Bograd added 14. Sophomore outside hitter
Arden Fisher was also in double-figures for digs with 10.
Along with the 11 block assists collected by Jay and Thompson, the Colonials received multi-block efforts from seniors
Sydney Sizemore (4),
Alena Esposito (2), and Robb (2).
RMU took the first set, 25-19. The frame was a back-and-forth affair before a kill from Jay, a service ace from senior setter
Hannah Hoffman, and a block from Jay and Sizemore gave the Colonials a 20-18 advantage. The Red Flash responded out of a timeout to take the next point, but an attack error followed by two kills from Fisher swung the momentum in the second seed's favor.
A rally of nine straight points was the difference in RMU's 25-17 second set victory. Up 13-12, SFU misfired on eight swings, with only one of its attack errors coming from a block. The Red Flash would give the Colonials the 23rd and 24th points of the stanza on another bad swing and a service error before Jay ended the frame with a kill.
RMU closed out the match by winning the third set, 25-20. With the score tied at 17, the Colonials took eight of the next 11 points to advance to tomorrow's championship game.
Top-seeded LIU Brooklyn defeated fourth-seeded Central Connecticut State in three sets, setting up round three between the Colonials and Blackbirds tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. from the Steinberg Wellness Center. This will be the sixth time that RMU and LIU have met in the NEC Championship Game (2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007), with the Colonials taking the first of those title tilts in 2002.
