Saturday, November 8 – 3:00 PM
Robert Morris vs. Saint Francis U. (11-14, 7-4 NEC)
Charles L. Sewall Center – Moon Township, Pa. Against the Red Flash – Robert Morris moved to 52-9 over Saint Francis U. on Oct. 10 with a five-set victory in Loretto. The Colonials have now won 11 straight matches and 16 consecutive regular-season contests against the Red Flash. RMU's last loss to SFU came in the 2008 NEC Tournament, while Oct. 21, 2006 marks the last time the Colonials fell to the Red Flash in a regular-season match.
Scouting Saint Francis U. – The Red Flash have exceeded expectations in their first season under new head coach Jason Kozak, as they sit comfortably in third place of the NEC standings with a record of 7-4 after being picked to finish sixth in the Preseason Coaches' Poll. Junior outside hitter Hannah Kutny leads SFU offensively with 275 kills and averages 3.2 per set. Also averaging over two kills per frame are sophomore Breanna Opera and senior Kayla Jeckell at 2.96 and 2.47, respectively. Senior setter Alanna Blenkarn has assisted on the majority of these kills with 979 helpers on the season. Freshman libero Jenna Veres commands the back row with a team-high 418 digs, while sophomore middle blocker Sophie Murdock paces the Red Flash with 89 blocks (10 solo, 79 assist).
Looking Ahead – Robert Morris finishes the regular season with a series in Brooklyn next weekend. The Colonials take on St. Francis Brooklyn on Nov. 15 and follow that up with a showdown against LIU Brooklyn on Nov. 16. RMU swept the Terriers on Oct. 18, but suffered its first NEC loss on Oct. 19 against the Blackbirds.
Thank You Seniors – This weekend's match with Saint Francis U. will mark the last time seven seniors play in (at the very least) a regular-season match at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
Melissa Bograd,
Alena Esposito,
Hannah Hoffman,
Becky Jay,
Erica Robb,
Sydney Sizemore, and
Breanna Surgot make up the largest senior class
Dale Starr has had during his tenure at Robert Morris. The group has won 53 matches and 41 NEC contests, compiling three double-digit win seasons in conference play and four trips to the NEC Tournament.
The Streaks Continue – With a five-set victory over Bryant this past Sunday, 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.
Know Your Enemy –
Arden Fisher registered a double-double in Robert Morris' five-set victory over Saint Francis U. on Oct. 10, tallying 15 kills and 21 digs. She was one of two Colonials who compiled double-digit kills; the other being
Madelyn Betts with 12 on an excellent .500 hitting percentage.
April Krivoniak fell a kill short of a double-double in that match, collecting 12 digs and seven blocks (1 solo, 6 assist) defensively. Holding down the back line were
Melissa Bograd and
Erica Robb, who had 20 and 19 digs, respectively.
Can You Dig It? –
Melissa Bograd earned the second NEC Defensive Player of the Week award of her career after collecting 49 digs in nine sets over the weekend, good for an average of 5.44 per frame. Fittingly, Bograd's other NEC weekly honor came after a home series against Bryant and Central Connecticut State - the same teams the Colonials hosted this past weekend.
Now at 1,516 digs for her career, the senior libero could move into top four by the end of the regular season. She sits 26 away from doing so, as Molly McCann (1991-94) and Julie Sector (1999-02) are ahead of her with 1,539 and 1,541 digs, respectively.
Can't Knock the Hustle – The Colonials have hit their stride defensively since entering conference play, leading the NEC in blocks per set (3.09), total blocks (136.0), and total digs (783). RMU is also second in digs per set with a mark of 17.8 and opponent hitting percentage at .144.
Individually, in conference matches,
Becky Jay and
Kristin Thompson lead the NEC in blocks per set with respective marks of 1.50 and 1.48. Jay also paces the conference in total blocks (66.0) and block assists (58).
Melissa Bograd is second in total digs with 202 and fourth in digs per set with a mark of 4.59.
Double the Double-Doubles –
Arden Fisher and
Brianna Frakes both posted double-doubles this past weekend, accomplishing the feat in matches against Central Connecticut State and Bryant.
This is the third time this season Fisher has tallied consecutive double-doubles. The sophomore outside hitter did it when the Colonials traveled to play the Blue Devils and Bulldogs on Oct. 4-5, and began the 2014 campaign with four straight double-doubles from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 against Milwaukee, Miami (Ohio), North Dakota State, and West Virginia.
