Brooklyn, N.Y. – LIU Brooklyn saw its historic 47-match Northeast Conference regular season winning streak snapped by Bryant last Sunday and will have to wait at least one more match to start a new unbeaten run, as Robert Morris University downed the three-time defending NEC regular season and tournament champions in three sets Saturday afternoon to improve to 2-0 in conference action.
 
The RMU (7-9, 2-0) offense thrived under the play-calling of sophomore setter Brianna Frakes, who posted her first double-double of the season in her first start of the year with 30 assists and 15 digs. Freshman Taylor Lord and senior Kristin Thompson each posted eight kills, while juniors Leah Dunivan and April Krivoniak added seven apiece. Dunivan hit at a season-best .636 percentage and accounted for a season-high eight blocks (one solo, seven assists) out of a team total 11.5 stuffs on the day.
 
The first set was an excellent indication of how Robert Morris would control the match, as the Colonials kicked things off with a 6-0 run and led by as many as 10 points in the middle of the frame. LIU Brooklyn (2-12, 1-2) made a run to an 8-3 advantage early in the second set, but after an RMU timeout, the Colonials surged ahead to tie things up at 11 and eventually claimed the lead and held on to close it out, 25-20, and entered the intermission with a 2-0 match lead.
 
A back-and-forth battle ensued to open the third stanza, but a 7-1 run put the Colonials up, 9-4, and was enough to secure the momentum and the shutout victory for the visiting Robert Morris squad.
 
The Colonials continue conference action in Brooklyn, N.Y., with a 1 p.m. match at St. Francis Brooklyn tomorrow afternoon.
 
Head Coach Dale Starr
On Brianna Frakes' performance…
She was unbelievably good today. She ran the offense well and she controlled the ball. We were very well distributed. There were a ton of variables on our attempts and we were very balanced. We kept [LIU Brooklyn] guessing with our offense all day long.
 
On the overall team effort in today's win…
We had only four unforced hitting errors. That's how you have to play against a storied team like LIU. We followed the game plan to a tee, we executed and the energy level was great. They never panicked. They stuck to the game plan and just kept going. I really feel that we won every facet of the match and there was not a bad performance. Everyone contributed and everyone did their job. When we're balanced we're going to be very tough to beat.
 
On whether the regular season and NEC tournament crowns are any team's titles to win this season…
I think there's going to be more parity in this league than there has been in a long time. I would assume that it's going to be a fight all the way to the end of the season. Sacred Heart and Bryant are going into their match tomorrow both undefeated. Hopefully we go into next weekend 3-0 and we can reacquaint ourselves with our home floor. LIU is still dangerous but we're playing really well right now. There are four or five teams right now that could win this thing. Everyone is going to have to come to play every night.
 
 
Back to Winning Ways Against the Blackbirds
Robert Morris hasn't defeated the three-time defending NEC champion LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds since a 3-1 win on Sept. 24, 2011, and hasn't swept the storied program since a regular-season shutout on Oct. 23, 2010, in head coach Dale Starr's inaugural season with the Colonials.
 
Offense On Point
As a unit, the Colonials hit at a .333 clip, their second best team attack percentage of the season.
 
Setting the Bar
In her first start of the season, sophomore setter Brianna Frakes recorded her eighth career double-double (30 assists, 15 digs) and first on the year.
 
Have a Day, Dunivan
Junior middle blocker Leah Dunivan went 7-for-11 on the attack to record a season high .636 hitting percentage and blocked a season-best eight total attempts to lead the RMU defense at the net.
 
 
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