Box Score |
Box Score (PDF)Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University volleyball team picked up its first win of the season, as it closed out the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational with a four-set victory over UMass Lowell this afternoon.
Robert Morris (1-6, 0-0 NEC) held advantages in every statistical category over UMass Lowell (1-7, 0-0 America East). The Colonials hit at a .282 clip and tallied nine service aces in the contest.
The Riverhawks jumped out a 13-11 lead in the first set before RMU came storming back with a 9-1 run. Senior middle blocker
Becky Jay led the charge with two kills and three block assists, while senior outside hitter
Erica Robb added two block assists and her own kill. UML cut the lead to four after a service ace and a Colonial service error, but freshman setter
Brianna Frakes put a stop to that potential run with a kill. Middle blockers
Kristin Thompson and
April Krivoniak eventually finished things off with a block, giving RMU a 25-19 win in the first set.
The Colonials would strike first in the second frame, going up 6-2 with kills from Robb and Thompson before UML tallied three straight points. RMU would respond with sophomore
Madelyn Betts, as she picked up three kills in the midst of a 7-2 run to make it 13-7. That advantage would extend to a set-high eight points at 19-11, 20-12, and 22-14, before the Colonials closed it out at a familiar 25-19 score thanks to a kill from Krivoniak.
Despite four kills each from Jay and Betts, RMU dropped the third set to the Riverhawks, 26-24. Senior outside hitter
Sydney Sizemore saw her first action of the match in this frame, registering three kills and three digs.
In the fourth set, the Colonials put together their most dominant performance of the early season, as they tallied the first 10 points en route to a 25-7 victory.
RMU received two kills from Krivoniak, along with one each from Sizemore and sophomore middle blocker
Leah Dunivan, before UML could pick up its first point. The Colonials responded with four straight points, thanks to another Dunivan kill, a service ace from senior libero
Melissa Bograd, and solo blocks from Krivoniak and Jay. From there, RMU wouldn't see its lead dip below 12, which allowed subs such as freshman outside hitter
Deja Tamlin to see extended time in the frame. Tamlin picked up the first kill and block assist of her career late in the set.
Jay was the lone Colonial in double-figures for kills, as she tallied 11 and hit at a .524 clip on the afternoon. The senior middle blocker added a team-high four block assists.
Sophomore outside hitter
Arden Fisher paced RMU in digs and service aces with 17 and three, respectively. Frakes dished out a career-high 39 assists in the win.
Bograd was named to the All-Tournament Team later in the evening. She tallied 61 digs in RMU's three matches over the weekend.
Robert Morris hits the road for two consecutive weeks, starting with the Colorado Tournament this coming weekend. The Colonials will open up in Boulder, Colo. with Butler on Sept. 12 at 4:30 PM (MDT) from the Coors Events Center.
