HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The
Robert Morris volleyball team knows it is not left with much breathing room in the Northeast Conference race, but there were sure to be plenty of deep breaths taken on the visitors' side after Friday evening's result.
The Colonials (8-13, 2-4) held off host Fairleigh Dickinson in three consecutive sets (25-19, 25-22, 25-21) to pick up a much-needed conference win at the Rothman Center. Robert Morris found its sought-after consistency on both offense and defense in hitting .270 as a team and holding the Knights (2-18, 0-6) to a .142 attack average.
Sophomore middle blockers
Emma Granger and
Maria Alfano, as much as they have together all season, played like the dynamic duo that willed RMU to the postseason as rookies. Granger made a match-high 15 kills, adding one of the team's four service aces, on a .480 clip, and Alfano, looking more like her optimal self after an early-season injury, matched her season-high .500 attack average for the third time this year in collecting eight kills.
The second-year front row tandem that affectionately calls itself the "Goggle Gang" also combined for three of seven total blocks by the Colonials.
"It is kind of rewarding, being out for a little bit and then coming back, and making an impact," Alfano said after the team's first straight-set victory of 2018. "Everyone out there did their part and contributed. Passers gave setters good balls, and the setters did their jobs, same as the hitters. All around, it was good work."
Robert Morris went on a 7-2 run early in the opening frame, and after Fairleigh Dickinson rallied to tie, Alfano gave the Colonials a 16-15 lead they would not surrender. Granger would then put the team on her back with four late points, including three kills, that opened things up enough for Alfano to nail down set point, with help from sophomore setter
Whitney Brown.
The former Avonworth High School standout meshed well with the middles all night, amassing 21 assists to lead all competitors and chipping in two kills and two block assists of her own.
In the second set, RMU showed mettle. First, it eradicated a slow start with an 8-0 tear that produced a 10-5 lead. Sophomore outside hitter
Mirna Sarjanovic, who narrowly missed a double-double with nine kills and ten digs, hitting .304 for the night, helped spark the offense.
Then, after FDU forced the Colonials to chase the game by taking seven of the next eight points, Robert Morris erased a deficit that reached 21-18 at one point. Rookie
Megan Cannon set up fellow newcomer
Alyssa Hudak for back-to-back kills, then Granger's 29th ace of the season tied the game.
Although a Granger service error led to a 22-22 deadlock, Alfano immediately picked up her teammate with a go-ahead kill that put RMU in control of the set.
"We give each other tips on where they've been, where to hit, where to block," Alfano said. "Whenever we're both out there, we're always telling each other what to do."
She and Hudak helped stake the Colonials to an early 4-0 advantage in the third. Cannon, embracing her increased floor time, picked up three of her 19 assists along the way, her first time in double figures since the team's NEC opener at Central Connecticut Sept. 21.
Granger helped build the lead to 14-7 before the Knights rallied. They would get as close as 19-18 before another kill by Granger sent RMU on another four-point run. Her last one of the match withstood video review before a block by Cannon secured the sweep.
In the bigger, but less crucial, picture, the Colonials also built a 32-7 lead in their all-time series with Fairleigh Dickinson.
Robert Morris looks to continue climbing back into the playoff picture when it visits NEC rival Sacred Heart Saturday afternoon. First serve, which can be seen live on NEC Front Row, is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. EDT at the William H. Pitt Center in Fairfield, Connecticut.
Last year, RMU rallied from two sets down to defeat the Pioneers (23-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-20, 18-16) in what would prove to be a pivotal road win in their 2017 campaign.
"The gameplan is to compete," said Alfano. "We need to have as much energy as we can and give them all we have, because we can't stop now. We have to get wins any way possible and just keep going."
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