Moon Township, Pa. – Head coach
Dale Starr anticipated an energized performance from the
Robert Morris University volleyball team in its home opener, spurred on by an enthusiastic crowd of Colonials faithful, and his squad delivered. The Colonials claimed victory over Buffalo, 3-0, to kick off the Robert Morris Invitational Friday evening in the Sewall Center.
Senior outside hitter
Arden Fisher extended her double-double streak to four matches, and paced the Colonials with 13 kills and 20 digs. Sophomore middle blocker
Brianna Schmid recorded eight kills at a .333 clip, and posted two block assists. Junior setter
Brianna Frakes posted 32 helpers and joined Fisher and senior
April Krivoniak in serving up two aces apiece.
Leading two sets to none, Robert Morris (2-2) opened the third frame on a 9-2 run, backed by some aggressive serving from Frakes and Fisher. Buffalo (0-4) called timeout and capitalized on some Colonials' unforced errors to close the gap and eventually tie the score at 13. The Bulls captured their first lead of the set at 15-14 on a service ace from sophomore Valisha Watkins, and led by as many as three points down the stretch.
Another ace from the Bulls set the Colonials back, 23-22, but Robert Morris cashed in on subsequent Buffalo miscues and held on long enough for Fisher to return to the service area, where she set herself up for the match-winning swing.
Robert Morris Invitational action continues tomorrow at 11 a.m. when the Colonials face the Coppin State Eagles. CSU will take on Saint Francis Pa. at 4 p.m., followed by the tournament finale at 7 p.m., when RMU hosts Bucknell in the Sewall Center. Admission is free to all matches.
TRENDING
Senior
Arden Fisher has posted double-doubles in all four matches on the season thus far. She was named Molten/NEC Defensive Player of the Week following her success at last weekend's Bulldog Battle, and currently leads the nation in digs per set (6.56).
MILESTONE WATCH
Head coach
Dale Starr is six wins shy of his 100
th career victory as head coach of the Robert Morris volleyball program, and 10 victories short of his 200
th career win at the Division I level.
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