BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- The future looks bright for the Robert Morris volleyball team, which took down one Northeast Conference contender at home and pushed another to its limit on the road before finally seeing its four-match win streak come to an end.
Junior outside hitter
Taylor Lord led a match-tying rally by the Colonials (9-10, 3-1) with 20 kills and 22 digs before RMU fell to LIU Brooklyn, 3-2 (24-26, 23-25, 25-21, 25-23, 13-15), at the Steinberg Wellness Center Friday night. The Blackbirds (10-7, 3-1), last year's NEC Tournament champion and this year's preseason favorite, share second place with Robert Morris in advance of the rematch Oct. 20 at the North Athletic Complex.
While registering her sixth double-double of the season, Lord also set a new career high with 24.0 points and notched three service aces, the most by the Inwood, W.Va. native since RMU's season-opening win over Stony Brook at the Butler Bulldog Brawl.
Senior setter
Brianna Frakes also notched her sixth double-double, not to mention her third in four matches, with 49 assists and 19 digs, and freshman outside hitter
Alyson Londot delivered her seventh of the campaign on 17 kills and ten digs.
With Robert Morris down 2-0, the Colonials took an early lead in the third set they never relinquished. Clinging tenaciously to a two-point advantage following an LIU Brooklyn timeout, consecutive kills from Londot and Lord, the former being set up by Frakes, kept RMU alive.
The Colonials, powered by the one-two punch of Lord and Frakes, continue to show spunk by taking control of the fourth set, 11-6, before LIU began counter-punching. When it pulled ahead, 20-19, and prompted Robert Morris to exhaust its second timeout, Molten/NEC Rookie of the Week
Emma Granger answered with a tying kill. Ultimately, back-to-back kills by Lord forced a decisive fifth set.
Granger made a couple more timely plays in the final set to keep RMU close, finishing with ten kills and five total blocks and adding to her conference lead with two more aces while hitting a team-best .323. Robert Morris, the NEC leader in attacking percentage entering this weekend, outhit LIU Brooklyn .205 to .202.
RMU will try to start a new winning streak against St. Francis Brooklyn (6-13, 0-4) Saturday afternoon, with first serve from the Genovesi Center coming at 4:00 p.m.
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