MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The Robert Morris volleyball team, as it unpacks "The Chuck" and prepares to move into its stopgap home, the North Athletic Complex, gave its old one a fond farewell on Homecoming weekend.
A solid performance by freshman outside hitter Alyson Londot, more dynamite efforts by fellow rookies Emma Granger and Maria Alfano in the midcourt and major contributions from Croatian newcomer Mirna Sarjanovic keyed a 3-0 RMU triumph over Rutgers Saturday afternoon to conclude the Robert Morris Invitational.
Londot finished with 11 kills and six digs for the Colonials (6-9), who closed out the final NCAA Division I sporting event in Sewall Center history by defeating a Big Ten team for the first time in program history.
Rutgers was resilient, but the Colonials counter-punched consistently. Robert Morris went on an early 10-1 run and ended with five unanswered points to take the first set. RMU built leads of 14-8, 15-9 and 23-17 before holding on for a second-set victory and climbed out of a 10-7 hole in the third set, methodically completing the sweep.
Granger, the reigning Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week, matched those 11 kills while hitting .588 and recording a team-high 15.0 points to lead RMU. Alfano also hit well from the middle blocker spot, finishing at a .412 clip and adding 10 digs of her own to go with her four blocks.
Outside hitter Sarjanovic helped hold off the Scarlet Knights with 11 digs and a pair of service aces.
The Colonials, who have played in the Charles L. Sewall Center for Leadership since its dedication in 1985, finish with an all-time mark of 188-120 (.610) at the venue, though precise records for the years 1985-86 and 1988-90 were not kept. Robert Morris' volleyball program, while housed at the Sewall Center, earned 17 consecutive NEC Tournament berths at one point and finished with a winning conference record in its last 18 full seasons there.
RMU further cemented its legacy of volleyball excellence at the Sewall Center with back-to-back NEC championships 1992-93 and six in a row 1999-2004, adding another regular season title in 2008. The Colonials earned NCAA Tournament berths each year during their '99-'04 reign, also achieving undefeated regular campaigns in '99, '02-'04 and '08.
The building, named after the university's president 1967-1989 and soon to be demolished, hosted the NEC Tournament in 1997, 2004 and 2008, with its on-campus tenants earning a berth in the '04 championship match. The new, state-of-the-art UPMC Events Center is slated to open in its place in January of 2019.
The current Colonials, meanwhile, begin conference play on the road next Friday when they visit Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pa. for a 7:00 p.m. match.
Their first contest in their temporary home will be another NEC showdown, against Sacred Heart, at 7:00 p.m. Sept. 29.
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