Match #1 – Saturday, September 27 – 1:00 PM
Robert Morris vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (2-11, 0-0 NEC)
Charles L. Sewall Center – Moon Township, Pa. Against the Knights – The Colonials fared well against Fairleigh Dickinson in their all-time history, holding a 23-7 record against the Knights. Prior to dropping its regular-season finale to the Knights last season, RMU had won 19 straight matches over FDU.
Scouting Fairleigh Dickinson – The Knights were picked to finish seventh in the NEC this season according to a poll of the conference's head coaches. FDU comes into this meeting with a record of 2-11, holding wins over Fordham and Quinnipiac. Freshman outside hitter Carly O'Sullivan is the lone Knight with triple-digit kills (105) and is third on the team in digs with 126. Assisting on most of those attempts is junior setter Allison Butler, who paces the team with 399 assists. Defensively, FDU has gotten a combined 90 blocks between middle hitters Hanifa Addi (51) and Caroline Laton (39). Laton leads the team with 10 solo stops.
Match #2 – Sunday, September 28 – 1:00 PM
Robert Morris vs. Sacred Heart (5-7, 0-0 NEC)
Charles L. Sewall Center - Moon Township, Pa. Against the Pioneers – The Colonials have held the upper hand against Sacred Heart, compiling a record of 18-6 in 24 matches. RMU has split with the Pioneers the past five regular seasons and hold the most recent win of the series, a 3-0 sweep at home on Nov. 16, 2013.
Scouting Sacred Heart – The Pioneers, who earned the lone non-LIU Brooklyn first-place vote in this year's NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll, enter this match with an overall record of 5-7. SHU won the Hofstra Invitational two weeks ago and also hold wins over Iona and Delaware. Sophomore right side Sarah Krufka has a team-high 163 kills on the season, while junior outside hitter Tori Kemper and freshman middle blocker Makayla Dole are each in the triple-digits for kills with 132 and 119, respectively. Sophomore defensive specialist Ana Gonzalez keys the Pioneers defensively, as she is the only player with three figures in digs (162). Sophomore middle blocker Jene Lee leads SHU in blocks with 33, all of which are assisted.
Looking Ahead – After a weekend at home, Robert Morris will hit the road for a five-game trip that will begin with games at Central Connecticut State and Bryant next weekend. The Colonials were swept by the Blue Devils last season, but broke out the brooms against the Bulldogs. CCSU, who was picked second in the NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll, is currently 4-8 with a 3-0 win over future RMU opponent NJIT. Bryant is 3-15 and beat UMass Lowell in its season opener by a 3-1 score.
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 –
Erica Robb has enjoyed playing Fairleigh Dickinson in her career, as she's tallied 38 kills and 66 digs in six matches. Her classmates
Becky Jay and
Melissa Bograd have been stalwarts defensively against the Knights as Jay's registered 24 blocks (4 solo, 20 assist) and Bograd has collected 84 digs.
The senior trio has also played well against Sacred Heart. Robb has 52 kills and 47 digs in six matches versus the Pioneers, while Jay has tallied 26 kills and 28 blocks (1 kill, 27 assist). Bograd has 50 digs against SHU in her career.
All-Tourney Honors –
Becky Jay earned All-Tournament honors at the Golden Grizzly Invite after putting together possibly her best weekend of the season. Jay tallied 34 kills and hit at a .265 clip offensively, and collected 10 blocks (4 solo, 6 assists) defensively.
Another Gear – Robert Morris has gotten off to good starts in NEC play the last six seasons, compiling a record of 10-1 in six opening weekends. The lone Colonial loss in this timeframe came at Sacred Heart last season, but prior to that RMU had won 10 straight matches in the first weekend of NEC play. Some of the notable victories include wins at LIU Brooklyn in 2010 and 2011, and Bryant in 2012.
