CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- The
Robert Morris volleyball team was good in spurts throughout the conclusion of the Catamount Volleyball Classic on Saturday, but they were unable to turn those spurts into their first regular-season victory.
The Colonials fell in four sets (25-20, 22-25, 20-25, 19-25) to Middle Tennessee and in straight sets (23-25, 18-25, 11-25) to Charleston Southern at Western Carolina University's Ramsey Activity Center. Despite the losses, sophomore middle blocker
Emma Granger flashed some of the offensive prowess that led her to 2017 Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year honors.
Granger, who ranked third in Division I as a freshman with 0.54 service aces per set, registered her first two aces of the season against the Blue Raiders (1-2), also leading RMU in that match with seven total blocks and adding six kills. The former Dalton (Ohio) High School standout registered a match-high 11 kills versus the Buccaneers (2-1) and made three total blocks.
Her fellow sophomore, setter
Whitney Brown, continued to make the most of her increased playing time, as she and senior outside hitter
Taylor Lord achieved the Colonials' first double-doubles of the new campaign at MTSU's expense. Brown finished with 28 assists and ten digs in the morning match and contributed six total blocks as well, while Lord led Robert Morris with 11 kills and 11 digs.
Furthermore, Lord racked up three service aces over both matches Saturday, further distancing herself from ex-teammate
Arden Fisher '17 (93) on the RMU all-time chart. Now with 97 career aces, she is that much closer to becoming the 11th Robert Morris player ever to hit the century mark.
Meanwhile, backup libero
Nikolette Zanolli, another of the 12 underclassmen on RMU's 15-player roster, did not disappoint in her collegiate debut. The Massillon, Ohio native and Jackson High School product made ten digs versus Middle Tennessee, and she followed that up with 15 digs and her first career assist against CSU.
Robert Morris, as a team, put forth a commendable defensive effort in its first contest of the day, limiting the Blue Raiders to a .123 combined attack average. The Colonials appeared to set an early tone by storming out to an 8-2 lead in the first set, and a pair of kills by
Maria Alfano capped the win after they withstood a late push that cut their advantage to 17-16 at one point.
However, MTSUÂ counter-punched more effectively going forward. Although Robert Morris shrunk an 11-5 deficit with a 5-0 run and tied the second set, 21-21, with a 6-1 run, the Blue Raiders scored the final three points. The Colonials then saw a 15-12 lead evaporate in the third frame, and even after they rallied to tie, Middle Tennessee closed the set on a 7-2 surge.
In the fourth, RMU put the Blue Raiders on their heels by climbing out of an 8-4 hole and grabbing a 12-10 advantage, but they responded by taking five of the next six points and never trailed again. Another 5-1 outburst to close the set gave them the match.
Against Charleston Southern, the Colonials, again, got off to a strong start but were unable to finish. With Lord making her presence felt and Brown being an effective playmaker, Robert Morris went on a 9-1 tear in the middle of the first set and built leads of 16-9 and 17-10. CSU bounced back with runs of 6-1 and 6-0 that helped the Bucs to steal the game and take the wind out of RMU's sails.
Robert Morris got as close as 13-12 in the second before Charleston Southern started pulling away. An 8-2 start to the third set by the Buccaneers effectively put the match out of reach.
Brown matched her earlier 28-assist effort with another against CSU, adding six digs and three kills, while senior libero
Allie Yurkovich closed her weekend with a team-best 16 digs.
The Colonials (0-3) move on to another preseason tournament, the Hokie Invitational, next weekend. The first serve of their tournament opener versus Campbell is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. EDT next Friday at Virginia Tech's Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia.
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