BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Those who believe the adage that iron sharpens iron could say the
Robert Morris volleyball team came out looking sharp at Virginia Tech, despite falling in four sets (25-22, 21-25, 16-25, 15-25) in the final match of the Hokie Invitational at the Cassell Coliseum Saturday.
Against the only Power 5 opponent on their 2018 regular season schedule, the Colonials seized eight of the first ten points on the day and ambushed the hosts in the opening set, marking the first time all weekend the undefeated Hokies (6-0) conceded a game.
RMU took the lead on a couple of kills by rookie
Emily Devlin, who gave the visitors a sizable advantage on the right side in the early going, and one by her former high school teammate,
Maria Alfano. The erstwhile Seneca Valley duo registered seven kills apiece, and Alfano was named to the all-tournament team after hitting .308 over three matches and totaling 25 kills to go with her eight total blocks and five digs.
A kill by fellow sophomore middle blocker
Emma Granger, one of her six for the match, gave Robert Morris a 23-13 lead before Virginia Tech started roaring back.
Alyson Londot perished any thoughts of a comeback when she put away a feed from
Megan Cannon for set point.
Playing a strong game from the back row, Londot led the Colonials with nine kills and rung up 14 digs. Cannon finished with 14 assists, and the rookie setter also made four digs and was one of three RMU players with a service ace.
Robert Morris, showing no sign of intimidation by its ACC counterpart, jumped out to a 9-5 advantage in the second, at which point the Hokies found their form. A block assist and subsequent kill by sophomore
Liz Campbell help the Colonials cut their deficit from 22-16 to 22-20, but they could get no closer.
Still, RMU held a substantial edge in attack average, .243 to .165, over Virginia Tech through two sets. Defensively, outside hitter
Mirna Sarjanovic played her best match of the young season, topping the team with 16 digs and adding two blocks to her five kills.
Offensively, VT proved just a bit too hot to handle over the long haul. A seesaw battle to begin the third set produced an 8-7 score in its favor before the Hokies pulled away, and although the Colonials fought their way to a 7-7 tie in the fourth, a five-point run gave Virginia Tech the lead for good.
Fellow sophomore
Whitney Brown gave Cannon commendable help at the setter position with her team-high 15 assists. Brown also made eight digs and collected her fifth service ace of the year.
Robert Morris (0-6) returns to Moon Township after the holiday weekend for its 2018 home opener versus Kent State. First serve against the Golden Flashes is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT Tuesday at the North Athletic Complex, and admission is free.
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