Moon Township, Pa. – The
Robert Morris University volleyball team completed a sweep of its Robert Morris Invitational opponents with a 3-1 win over Coppin State and a thrilling five-set victory over Bucknell to cap tournament action Saturday in the Sewall Center.
Among all six teams competing in the multi-venue invitational hosted on the campuses of Duquesne University and Robert Morris University, the Colonials were one of two squads to go undefeated throughout the two-day event.
In Saturday night's tournament finale, three Colonials registered double-digit kills and two tabbed double-doubles in Robert Morris' (4-2) 3-2 comeback victory over Bucknell (2-4). Senior
Arden Fisher and sophomore
Taylor Lord recorded 13 kills apiece, and combined for 53 digs. Lord set new career standards in block assists (five) and total blocks (six).
Senior
Leah Dunivan added 12 kills, and tallied a career-high nine block assists, which ties for third all-time in RMU individual match history. Senior
April Krivoniak posted her fifth double-digit dig effort in six matches with 20 digs, while sophomore
Liz Campbell helped orchestrate the offense with 28 assists.
Robert Morris took control at the onset of the fifth, as Krivoniak settled in to the service area and helped the Colonials earn a 5-4 lead. A 5-2 run put RMU ahead, 13-8, but Bucknell quickly trimmed the Colonials advantage to two, and proved they would not go away easily. Both teams traded points back and forth, but the Bison committed two costly service errors later in the frame, which opened up match-point opportunities for the Colonials. RMU earned the game-tying and eventual match-winning points on back-to-back Bucknell blunders.
The Colonials trailed, 2-1, following a third set in which they recorded just one kill. Robert Morris rallied, however, and claimed the final two frames to defeat the Bison.
RMU exhibited early signs of resilience in the match. In set two, the Colonials held a nine-point lead before the Bison managed to tie the frame at 20. A back-and-forth battle ensued as Fisher and Lord teamed up for five of the team's final nine points of the set, including Lord's set-point ace to secure the second, 29-27.
Four Colonials registered double-digit kills in Robert Morris' 3-1 victory over Coppin State to open the day. Freshman middle blocker
Kendra Harlow and sophomore middle
Brianna Schmid each posted career high numbers in kills, with 12 and 10, respectively. The two combined for 11 total blocks to lead the defensive effort at the net. Lord tallied her fourth double-double of the season with a team-leading 16 kills and 13 digs. Fisher registered a double-double for the fifth consecutive match, as she anchored the back row with 20 digs and notched 12 kills.
Robert Morris dropped its first set of the tournament to Coppin State (0-7) and faced a fourth game, but the Colonials displayed their determination to close out the Eagles and secure victory early in the frame, as they opened set four on a 10-4 tear. Lord notched three kills to tally multiple points for the home team during the opening run.
A string of Colonials errors committed in the middle of the frame helped the Eagles trim the RMU advantage to four, but Coppin State would not earn a lead the rest of the way. With Robert Morris leading 22-16, Coppin State registered three-straight kills, including two from Bailee Jackson, but the Colonials never wavered. Fisher stepped up for the home team and recorded back-to-back kills to set up match point.
Coppin State fell behind early in the match, but applied enough pressure on Robert Morris to claim the third set and force a fourth game. The Eagles' Kennedy Curtis put down a timely kill, which sparked a 9-1 run late in set three, and put Coppin State ahead, 21-11. The two teams traded points back and forth until CSU secured the set and extended the match to four games.
RMU secured a 2-0 match lead, nearly doubling CSU's offensive output through the first two frames, 31 kills to 17.
The Colonials have a quick turnaround following the holiday weekend, as they travel to Kent State on Tuesday, Sept. 6 for a 7 p.m. match in Kent, Ohio.
TRENDING
Senior
Arden Fisher has posted double-doubles in all six 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 entered the RMU Invitational leading the nation in digs per set (6.16).
MILESTONE WATCH
Head coach
Dale Starr is four wins shy of his 100
th career victory as head coach of the Robert Morris volleyball program, and eight victories short of his 200
th career win at the Division I level.
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