Morgantown, W.V. – It was an" inspired" performance by the Robert Morris University volleyball team, according to head coach Dale Starr, that led the Colonials to defeat Big XII opponent West Virginia, 3-1, in the WVU Coliseum Wednesday night.
 
Junior Arden Fisher notched her fifth double-double in six matches with 13 kills and 18 digs. Fellow junior April Krivoniak joined her in double-digit kills (10) and added six digs and three block assists. Freshman Brianna Schmid led a solid blocking effort with a season-high seven stuffs (one solo, six assists).
 
The Colonials (9-9) ran away with the match in the fourth set, during which they led the Mountaineers (5-11) by as many as 13 points. Senior Kristin Thompson gave her squad a boost with five kills in the fourth frame. RMU committed just three hitting errors compared to WVU's 10 in the final set and posted four big blocks to silence the Mountaineers' swings.
 
Following intermission, the teams looked evenly matched in set three after each squad experienced ups and downs in the first and second set. The third set was a back-and-forth affair, but Robert Morris managed to close out the critical frame, 25-21, and take a 2-1 lead heading into set four.
 
RMU looked unstoppable in the first set, while West Virginia needed the entire first frame to settle into its game plan. The Colonials held the Mountaineers to a negative hitting percentage in set one, but the tides turned in the second set as RMU fell behind and hit for negative numbers as the home team surged to a 25-15 win to tie the match, 1-1.
 
Robert Morris returns to the Sewall Center for the first time since Sept. 1 to host Northeast Conference opponent Sacred Heart on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 3 p.m. and Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 3 p.m.
 
 
Head Coach Dale Starr
On what this win means for the team…
I expected us to play well and compete with this team but I didn't expect us to play as inspired as we did. We're just on a roll right now.
 
On what was said in the locker room during intermission after a slow set two…
We just talked about controlling what we could control and taking deep breaths and relaxing. You can't expect a team in the Big XII to lay down and die. They're going to come out and make adjustments. But we came out and controlled tempo, we didn't make a lot of unforced errors and our defense is playing really well right now. We blocked well, dug a lot of balls and we won a lot of "ugly" points. I think when you're playing teams that are used to swinging and we're bringing it back at them, they're not used to that. I think that helped keep them off their game as well.
 
On keys to a win against Sacred Heart on Saturday…
The two things we're going to really focus on are our blocking and serve receive game. We're going to have to pass the ball very well. If we do that I'm pretty confident we can come away with a win. We have to take away what [Sacred Heart] does well and they swing hard at a lot of balls and serve extremely tough. I have a lot of respect for Sacred Heart and [head coach] Rob [Machan]. We're going to have to play a really good game in order for us to win.
 
 
Success Under Starr
For the second time in program history and the second time under head coach Dale Starr, Robert Morris defeated a Big XII team. Starr and his squad made history on Sept. 11, 2012, when in the first match against a Big XII team in program annals, the Colonials topped the Mountaineers in a five-set thriller.
 
Fisher's On Fire
Junior Arden Fisher recorded her second consecutive double-double and fifth in the last six matches. She has 11 on the season and 33 in her career.
 
On a Roll
Today's win extended RMU's winning streak to three, matching it's season-best three-match winning streak, which occurred at the Rose Hill Classic in early September.
 
 
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