Volleyball | 9/27/2017 2:02:00 PM
Friday, Sept. 29 vs. Sacred Heart (7:00 p.m.)
Saturday, Sept. 30 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson (5:00 p.m.)
Top Story
The
Robert Morris University volleyball team will try for its first winning streak of the 2017 season when it hosts Sacred Heart University at the North Athletic Complex for a 7:00 p.m. first serve Friday. The match is part of "Class of 2021 Night," as students in the university's First-Year Seminar Program (FYSP) are encouraged to come cheer on a Colonials squad that features a number of rising first-year stars. The Colonials continue Northeast Conference play Saturday at 5:00 p.m. with a visit from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
RMU aims to avenge a couple of losses to Sacred Heart in 2016 (3-0 on Oct. 2 and 3-1 on Oct. 30), having last defeated the reigning NEC regular season champions in a 3-2 thriller back on Nov. 7, 2015 in Fairfield, Conn. The Colonials, on the other hand, have won their last six meetings with Fairleigh Dickinson, including a pair of straight-set victories over the Knights Oct. 1, 2016 in Teaneck, N.J. and Oct. 29, 2016 at the Sewall Center.
COMPLETE NOTES PACKAGE: Robert Morris vs. Sacred Heart and Fairleigh Dickinson (9/29/17-9/30/17)
Last Time Out
RMU won despite losing the first set for just the second time this year, opening NEC play with a 3-1 triumph (16-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-22) over Saint Francis University at DeGol Arena in Loretto, Pa. last Friday. After falling behind, Robert Morris raced out to a 10-2 lead in the second set prior to a 5-0 run fueled by two kills apiece from freshmen
Alyson Londot and
Emma Granger that tied the match. A third set that saw nine ties eventually saw the Colonials prevail, 25-23, thanks to another crucial kill by Granger when the Red Flash (6-8, 0-1) were rallying. The poise of the visitors would also be tested in the fourth set, as Robert Morris took a commanding 11-3 lead, but SFU mounted a comeback to make it 19-16 in its favor. A timeout by the Colonials proved to be the antidote; RMU took seven of the next eight points and never trailed again.
Making History
With 15 digs against the Red Flash, Robert Morris junior libero
Allie Yurkovich surpassed 1,000 career digs in the Colonials' victory. Yurkovich is one of a couple of local success stories on the 2017 team, as the former Thomas Jefferson (Jefferson Hills, Pa.) standout leads RMU with 215 digs this year and ranks eighth in the NEC with 3.52 per set. Yurkovich also finished with a season-high seven assists at Saint Francis.
Scouting the Opponents
Sacred Heart (7-6, 1-0) is riding a three-match winning streak into Moon Township, most recently defeating Fairleigh Dickinson, 3-1, in its NEC home opener. Senior setter Kiki Robinson, who leads the conference with 9.94 assists per set, enjoyed her second 50-plus assist performance of the season with 52 in that win.
Fairleigh Dickinson (3-12, 0-1), in contrast, is trying to snap a seven-match skid. The Knights, led by senior libero Carly O'Sullivan and her 231 total digs (4.36 per set), rank 17th in the NCAA with 17.50 digs per set.
About Robert Morris
The Colonials were predicted to finish in fifth place in the 2017 NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll. RMU missed qualifying for its 18th consecutive NEC Tournament by just one game last season. In each of the last 18 seasons, the Colonials have posted a winning record in league competition, which stands as the longest such streak of any NEC member, past or present.
MUSKET SHOTS
Off on the Right Foot
Part of why Robert Morris has been one of the Northeast Conference's most successful volleyball programs over the years, perhaps, is because the Colonials, under head coach
Dale Starr, have traditionally started well in conference play. With last Friday's win, RMU is now 7-1 in NEC openers during his tenure, with Starr winning his first six after joining the program. Furthermore, the Colonials are 5-2 in NEC home openers on his watch.
Flashback Friday
Looking further into Robert Morris' record in conference openers, of note are their first NEC home matches of the 2014 season, in which Robert Morris swept this weekend's opponents, Fairleigh Dickinson, then Sacred Heart, almost three years ago to the day (Sept. 27-28).
Brianna Frakes, the only 2017 team member to appear in both matches, amassed 33 assists and 15 digs over those two days, splitting time at setter with Hannah Hoffman.
The Kids are Alright
Freshman outside hitter
Alyson Londot became the third consecutive Robert Morris winner of the Molten/NEC Rookie of the Week award for her performance at Saint Francis Sept. 22, supplanting middle blocker and two-time honoree
Emma Granger. Londot doubled her season high with 30 digs against the Red Flash, also finishing with nine kills, 9.0 points and two assists for the first multiple-assist match of her young collegiate career. Currently, the Utica, Ohio native ranks second on the team, as well as tenth in the Northeast Conference, with 2.74 kills per set. Londot, a first-time NEC Prime Performer selection, also ranks second on the Colonials with 151 digs on the year, having bumped up her average to 2.60 per set.
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