Moon Township, Pa. – A promising rally in the third set fell short for the Robert Morris University volleyball team, and the Colonials fell to local rival Duquesne, 3-0, Tuesday evening in the A.J. Palumbo Center.
 
Junior outside hitter Deja Tamlin recorded a career-high 10 kills and matched her career-best four total blocks. Sophomore middle Brianna Schmid matched her career-high seven total blocks. Senior Arden Fisher led the Colonials with 10 kills and 20 digs in her 14^th double-double in 16 matches. Freshman Kendra Harlow and senior April Krivoniak each added seven kills. Junior setter Brianna Frakes dished out 29 assists.
 
The third set featured major ebbs and flows, as Robert Morris (6-11, 0-2) ripped off an 8-3 run to open the frame. Duquesne (11-6, 1-1) did not want to see the match extend to four sets, however, and scored seven of the next eight points to take a 10-9 lead. An ace from Schmid put RMU back in control of the score, 12-11, but the Colonials never managed to maintain momentum. After a kill from Fisher earned Robert Morris a 13-12 advantage, the Colonials were unsuccessful in retaking the lead.
 
Duquesne used a 7-1 run to move ahead of Robert Morris by seven, 22-15. RMU put together a series of four kills from four different Colonials to try and catch the Dukes, but Duquesne closed the set with back-to-back kills to secure the 3-0 victory.
 
The Dukes opened up set two with an 8-3 lead, but the Colonials patiently chipped away at the Duquesne lead. For the second time in the frame, the Dukes managed to widen the gap by five, 14-9, but RMU answered with a 6-2 stretch to reduce the Duquesne lead to one, 17-16. The Colonials were unable to turn the tide, however, and dropped set two by a slim margin, 25-22.
 
Robert Morris trailed for the majority of the first set, but an 8-1 run, sparked by a kill from Tamlin, put the Colonials up by two, 18-16. The teams proceeded to trade points back and forth, and Duquesne eventually tied the score at 22 on an RMU service error. The Dukes went on to score the next three points and claim the 1-0 match lead.
 
RMU returns to Northeast Conference (NEC) action this weekend on the road at Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 1 p.m. and Sacred Heart on Sunday, Oct. 2 at 1 p.m.
 
 
Making History
With her first five digs tonight, Fisher moved into second place all-time in individual career history in digs (1,598) at RMU. She is 11 kills shy of taking over fourth place in all-time individual career kills.
 
National Radar
Senior Arden Fisher currently ranks No. 15 in the nation in digs per set (5.31) after spending the first two weeks at number one. As a team, Robert Morris ranks eighth in the nation in digs per set (17.66).
 
Trending
Senior Arden Fisher has posted a double-double in 14 of 16 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 (207) and digs (344). Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Lord has recorded a double-double in eight of her last 13 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 (5.31), No. 6 Taylor Lord (3.76), and No. 9 Allie Yurkovich (3.28).
 
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.
 
 
Follow RMU volleyball on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter