MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The Robert Morris volleyball team will take no solace in so-called moral victories, though it fought as admirably as one could without earning a more savory result from Northeast Conference rival Bryant.

The Bulldogs (17-9, 7-2) barely outlasted the Colonials (8-16, 2-7) in an epic five-set battle (25-23, 23-25, 24-26, 26-24, 16-18) at the North Athletic Complex on Saturday night. RMU did everything in its power to upend last year's regular-season NEC tri-champions, including coming back from a 6-0 deficit in the fifth to take a 15-14 lead on block assists by sophomores Alyson Londot and Emma Granger that withstood video review.

Londot had also played hero with the Colonials down 14-13, evening the score with one of nine kills from her outside spot.

Both teams then staved off match point, with Granger tipping an off-speed ball over the net that the visitors bungled to extend the contest, before Bryant pulled it out with a kill by Julia Flynn in the middle of the floor and a misdirected swing by Taylor Lord into the mesh.

That play, however, did not define an otherwise sublime performance by the senior outside hitter for the second day in a row. Lord, who made 18 kills on a .271 average and dug 12 attempts, rounded out her weekend with back-to-back double-doubles, giving her a team-high six on the season.

Fellow senior Allie Yurkovich epitomized the heart and hustle of the home team with her career-high 30 digs. The longtime libero now has 1,587 as a collegian, passing Melissa Bograd '15 to enter the top five in program history.

At the younger end of the scale, the same could be said for rookie setter Megan Cannon. She emptied her own tank to the tune of 49 assists, topping all competitors and setting a new season high for the second night in a row.

Meanwhile, the "Goggle Gang" continued to point toward a brighter future for the Colonials. Granger hit a team-best .320 in collecting a dozen kills, five total blocks and two of four RMU service aces, and fellow middle blocker Maria Alfano matched her career high with seven total blocks, adding six kills.

Granger, named an NEC Prime Performer for Week 8, now needs only three more aces to become the 12th player in Robert Morris history to hit the century mark for her career. Lord became the 11th versus Loyola (Maryland) at the Charm City Challenge in Baltimore Sept. 7.

The Colonials came out poised as could be, storming out to a 7-1 lead behind solid blocking from Emily Devlin, who also reached double figures in kills, on the right side. The former Seneca Valley High School standout made six total blocks, a new season high.

They kept Bryant mostly at bay until late in the set, when their lead was trimmed to 23-22 before Granger fiercely put one away and Cannon connected on a dump-in to give RMU the first-set victory.

Alfano put Robert Morris in the driver's seat, 22-18, in the second, but momentum flipped after a subsequent Bulldogs timeout. A couple of attack errors sunk RMU, as Bryant evened the match with four straight points to close. The middle frame, by comparison, was tight as a tick, with ten ties and four lead changes altogether, and it came down to back-to-back kills by Flynn.

It looked as if the hosts may run out of gas when they hit a 7-1 skid to open the fourth. However, the Cardiac Colonials went into overdrive after a timeout.

Eventually, a 6-1 spurt keyed by Granger and Alfano offensively cut Bryant's advantage to 11-10. Lord continued to resuscitate her team by tying the set at 12.

The Seneca Valley tandem of Alfano and Devlin sprung into action with a solo block and kill, respectively, to give RMU a 16-14 edge. They went up for game-changing block assists that gave the Colonials a 25-24 lead after Lord had broken a 22-22 stalemate. A Flynn miscue gave them the win that prolonged the match.

Robert Morris visits conference rival St. Francis Brooklyn Fri., Oct. 26, seeking a season sweep of the Terriers, followed by a hop, skip and jump to LIU Brooklyn for an Oct. 27 rematch with the defending NEC Tournament champion.

Both matches are scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. EDT first serve and can be seen live on NEC Front Row.

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