Volleyball | 8/24/2018 9:17:00 AM
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- The
Robert Morris volleyball team officially begins its 38th season when it faces the Catamounts of Western Carolina University on the first day of the Catamount Volleyball Classic. First serve from the Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center in Cullowhee, North Carolina is set for 6:30 p.m. EDT Friday, and the match can be seen live on ESPN Plus (subscription required).
The Colonials continue tournament play Saturday against Middle Tennessee State University and conclude the opening weekend of their 2018 regular campaign by taking on Charleston Southern University. First serve from the Ramsey Center is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. EDT against the Blue Raiders and 4:00 p.m. EDT against the Buccaneers, with live stats for both matches available at
bit.ly/rmuvolleyball.
Robert Morris (0-0) at the Catamount Volleyball Classic
Fri., Aug. 24 at Western Carolina (6:30 p.m.) - LIVE STREAM ($) | LIVE STATS
Sat., Aug. 25 vs. Middle Tennessee (10:00 a.m.) - LIVE STATS
Sat., Aug. 25 vs. Charleston Southern (4:00 p.m.) - LIVE STATS
COMPLETE NOTES PACKAGE: Robert Morris at the Catamount Volleyball Classic (Aug. 24-25, 2018) (PDF)
Only two meetings between RMU and WCU have ever taken place: a pair of straight-set decisions for the Catamounts just over 15 years apart (Sept. 19, 1998; Sept. 21, 2013). Four-time All-Northeast Conference honoree
Arden Fisher (10 kills, 15 digs) and setter
Hannah Hoffman (28 assists, 11 digs) each had double-doubles for the Colonials in their most recent contest, at the Carolina Classic in Columbia, South Carolina.
Robert Morris also aims to make the third time the charm against Middle Tennessee, which edged RMU in five sets in the Robert Morris Invitational Sept. 15, 2017 at the Sewall Center, the first matchup between the two since an MTSU sweep in the Kent State Invitational Sept. 9, 1995. RMU fell in last year's meeting despite 13 kills and five service aces from
Emma Granger, plus a double-double from
Taylor Lord (11 kills, 13 digs).
Coincidentally, the Buccaneers also own a three-set victory over the Colonials, which came Sept. 3, 2005 in the North Florida Tournament, the only meeting ever between the teams.
Last Time Out
Overcoming inexperience and a fifth-place preseason prediction, head coach
Dale Starr guided Robert Morris to an 8-6 NEC mark and back to the postseason for the first time since its toppling of host LIU Brooklyn in the NEC Tournament two years prior. It was the 18th NEC Tournament berth for the Colonials in a 19-year span. Their 2017 season ended with a four-set loss to the host Blackbirds Nov. 17, 2017 in the NEC Semifinal.
Scouting The Opponents
Western Carolina (11-19 in 2017) returns four starters, including junior middle blocker Aleah Keaton. Keaton started all 30 matches last year and finished second on the team with 99 blocks. Previously, she made the 2016 SoCon All-Freshmen Team.
Junior Dora Peonia returns to the outside hitter position for MTSU (7-23 in 2017) this season. Peonia rung up a school single-year record 44 service aces and led the team with 237 kills.
Senior libero Madison Martin returns for CSU (8-22 in 2017) already boasting one of the most accomplished careers in both program and Big South Conference history. She already has the school's single-season digs mark set back in the 2016 season with 665 digs. She followed up last year with 528, the third-most in Bucs history. Martin enters the season with 1,462 digs sitting third all-time in the Bucs' career record books.
About Robert Morris
RMU was picked third in the 2018 NEC Preseason Poll, and it was one of four to receive a first-place vote. One of the most successful teams at Robert Morris and in the Northeast Conference, the volleyball program has won six NEC regular-season championships, including four straight from 2001-2004. The Colonials have also won eight NEC Tournament titles, including five straight from 1999-2003. Robert Morris reached the NCAA Tournament following each of those five NEC Tournament championships, and again in 2015.
MUSKET SHOTS
A Loose Cannon
Megan Cannon was the only Colonial to unofficially register a double-double (10 assists, 11 digs) in the team's preseason scrimmage with Division II Seton Hill Aug. 18 at the North Athletic Complex. She came to Robert Morris after setting the Luxemburg-Casco High School single-season record for assists with 1,295 as a senior captain there, and she ended up second in school history with 2,823 career helpers.
Granger Things
The 2017 season and subsequent offseason were quite memorable for
Emma Granger. On Nov. 16, 2017 she was named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, making her the first RMU recipient of the award since Alyssa Bennett in 2008 and just the fourth all-time. It also made her the only rookie to get a 2017 All-NEC First Team nod. Furthermore, her four Molten/NEC Rookie of the Week awards last season were the most of any NEC newcomer. Then, this summer, Granger traveled to South Africa to teach youths about volleyball as part of Athletes in Action, a campus ministry group offered by RMU.
Good Lord
Taylor Lord, on Oct. 20, 2017 versus LIU Brooklyn, became the 13th different player in program history to record 1,000 career digs. She made 19 in the season finale versus Central Connecticut Nov. 11, 2017, a match that saw Robert Morris, for just the ninth time in the Starr era, tie its opponent in team digs, with 102. Lord earned All-NEC Tournament Team honors with her follow-up effort of 19 digs, nine kills and two solo blocks against the Blackbirds at the NEC Semifinal Nov. 17, 2017, and she enters the season fifth in Colonials history in career digs per set, with 3.47.
Don't Hassle Me, I'm Local
The offseason transfer of Serra Catholic product
Lauren Kolenik from Eastern Kentucky University gives the Colonials five WPIAL (Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League) alumnae on their 2018 roster.
Maria Alfano and
Emily Devlin, in fact, won a district championship together for Seneca Valley in 2016 before joining Robert Morris. Meanwhile,
Allie Yurkovich of Thomas Jefferson lore became the 12th player in team history to eclipse 1,000 career digs on Sept. 22, 2017 at Saint Francis U, ranks sixth in RMU history in digs per set (3.43) and has cracked the NEC top ten in that category three straight seasons. The five former WPIAL players are the most on any of
Dale Starr's RMU teams.
Hold It Now, Hit It
Robert Morris finished third in the NEC with its .191 team attack average in 2017, improving upon its .180 clip in 2016. This marked the fourth time under Starr and third time over the past five seasons the Colonials ranked third or better in the conference. Granger led all rookies and ranked second overall in the NEC with her .336 hitting percentage, and Alfano was second among rookies and fourth overall with her .279 average. Additionally, Granger was ninth in the NEC with her 2.92 kills per set, while she and Alfano finished 2-3 in NEC hitting percentage in conference play (.317 and .308, respectively).
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