Moon Township, Pa. – In a four-set battle, the Robert Morris University volleyball team suffered a 3-1 setback to Bryant on Sunday afternoon in the Sewall Center.
 
Senior outside hitter Arden Fisher led the way with her 13^th double-double in 15 matches. She paced the offense with 11 kills and anchored the defense with 13 digs. Sophomores Taylor Lord and Allie Yurkovich matched Fisher's defensive output with 13 digs each. The second-year duo accounted for two of the team's four aces on the day. Senior Leah Dunivan racked up eight blocks to help the Colonials match their season-high 16 total team blocks.
 
"In the fourth set, we just trailed the entire way," said head coach Dale Starr following the match. "We kind of emptied our gas tank. When you're trailing and you're fighting that hard in the third set, fighting as hard as we had to and coming back, to come back and win, that took a lot of energy. That showed in the fourth set."

 
Robert Morris (6-10, 0-2) forced a fourth set and entered the frame with momentum, but Bryant (10-9, 2-0) broke a 4-4 deadlock on a 4-0 run, which forced the Colonials to call timeout. RMU scored the next point on a kill from Lord, but the Bulldogs responded with a 7-3 streak and widened the gap to seven points. The Colonials cut the Bulldogs' lead to five, 15-10, and traded points with Bryant until the visitors put together a 5-2 streak that increased their advantage to eight. RMU scored the next three and forced Bryant to call timeout. The Bulldogs scored three of the next five to capture the match-winning set. 25-19.
 
The Colonials displayed great heart in the third, even after they fell behind, 10-3, to open the frame. Robert Morris ripped off a 7-1 run to reach within one point of Bryant, and eventually tied the set, 14-14. The Colonials earned their first lead of the set, 17-16, on a block from Dunivan and Lord, and remained in front of the score the rest of the way. Another block by Dunivan sparked a 5-1 streak that put RMU in position to close the set, 25-22.
 
Sets one and two were decided by three points or less, as both teams battled back and forth for momentum. RMU dominated on defense in front, and out-blocked the Bulldogs, 16-7, but Bryant topped the Colonials in kills (59-42), assists (56-35) and digs (76-59).
 
"We've just got to execute," Starr explained. "There are a lot of reasons for it. There's no single blame to go around. It's just as a group we're not executing. And that's what you have to do when you're in those tight sets. You have to execute. We were constantly on our heels, and we have to find a way to reverse that."
 
Robert Morris has not opened a conference season 0-2 since 1998, but Starr and his resilient squad are confident in their ability to get back into the win column.
 
"I still feel like we're the best team in this conference," Starr reiterated. "When we play with great effort and great energy and great execution, we're the best team in this conference."
 
The Colonials take a brief pause from NEC action for a trip to crosstown foe Duquesne on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m.
 
 
National Radar
Senior Arden Fisher currently ranks No. 4 in the nation in digs per set (5.52) after spending the first two weeks at number one, and was named Molten/NEC Player of the Week for week two after earning Defensive Player of the Week honors in the first week of action. As a team, Robert Morris ranks ninth in the nation in digs per set (17.67).
 
Trending
Senior Arden Fisher has posted a double-double in 13 of 15 matches played this season. Her streak of 11 matches with a double-double to start a season marks the longest season-opening streak in Robert Morris history dating back to 2003. She leads the Colonials in kills (197) and digs (324). Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Lord has recorded a double-double in eight of her last 12 outings. She is averaging 2.37 kills and 3.76 digs per set.
 
We Can Dig It
Three Colonials rank among the top-10 in the NEC in digs per set: No. 1 Arden Fisher (5.52), No. 6 Taylor Lord (3.74), and No. 9 Allie Yurkovich (3.24).
 
Success Under Starr
The Colonials posted their best overall winning percentage (.594) under head coach Dale Starr last season. Starr is two wins shy of his 100th victory as head coach of the Robert Morris volleyball program and six victories short of his 200^th career win at the Division I level.
 
A Historic Run
Robert Morris qualified for its 17th consecutive NEC Tournament last year, extending the conference's longest active streak. In the last 17 seasons, the Colonials have posted a winning record in league play; the longest such streak of any NEC member, past or present. Over that time span, RMU has gone 154-37 in conference play.
 
 
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