MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Early on the second day of the RMU Sheraton Innvitational, the
Robert Morris volleyball team answered a wake-up call in time to turn a two-set deficit into another five-set thriller (15-25, 18-25, 25-23, 27-25, 15-12) over Houston at the North Athletic Complex Saturday.
The Colonials (6-8) later ran out of steam in a four-set finale (26-28, 23-25, 25-15, 16-25) versus Purdue Fort Wayne, settling for a second-place finish in their annual home tournament, but not before delivering one of their grittiest performances of the season.
Against the Cougars (13-2), sophomore middle blocker
Emma Granger led the offense for the third match in a row, recording 14 kills, and made four total blocks. RMU recorded eight service aces as a team, and Granger was one of three Colonials to finish the contest with a pair.
Defensively, senior libero
Allie Yurkovich set the pace with 18 digs for Robert Morris, adding three assists and an ace of her own. Both were eventually named to the RMU Sheraton Innvitational All-Tournament Team after Granger hit .326 for the weekend, averaging 3.29 kills per set and totaling ten blocks, while Yurkovich averaged 3.93 digs per set and registered nine assists and four combined aces.
Houston picked up where it left off after rallying past Eastern Michigan and rolling over Duquesne Friday, but its Northeast Conference counterpart came out swinging in the third set. Sophomore outside hitter
Alyson Londot, who overcame a slow start to finish with 11 kills, delivered a couple early ones en route to a 6-2 Robert Morris lead, then a Granger kill inflated the cushion to 14-9.
The Cougars began to claw back before Granger put one off some fingertips at the side of the net for a 20-16 advantage. The teams traded miscues to close out the third, and a successful RMU challenge of an out call, followed by a Houston service error on set point, helped extend the match.
The fourth, however, would prove much more of a seesaw battle, ultimately featuring 11 ties and six lead changes. Senior outside hitter
Taylor Lord went upstairs to tie the set at six apiece, and after the Colonials offense hit a dry spell midway through, they went on a 6-0 run fueled by two Londot kills and a pair of aces by Lord for a 15-13 edge.
After Houston answered with a 5-0 spurt to turn the fourth set in its favor, 20-18, a block assist by Lord and sophomore middle blocker
Skylar Clements helped tie it up again. With the Cougars serving for match point at 24-21, Granger kept RMU alive with a ferocious attack right down the middle. A net fault by Houston that was unsuccessfully challenged made it a one-point game, then Granger forced an attack error to prolong the drama.
Sophomore setter
Whitney Brown caught the Cougars off guard and brought Robert Morris to a second set point with a dump-in before Granger tipped a ball to their side that Houston could not handle.
The Cougars, for that matter, were unable to handle the 4-2 head start to which they got out in the fifth. A cross-court kill by Londot, a Houston attack error on an overswing and an ace by Granger briefly turned the set in the Colonials' favor, 5-4. The teams continued to trade blows until Granger put away a ball off a couple of enemy hands to give Robert Morris a 12-11 lead that it would not relinquish.
Londot tipped one over the net that was bobbled, Granger made a block, assisted by Brown, to put Robert Morris on match point and Granger then hammered one that was deflected out of bounds. The Cardiac Colonials had struck again for their fifth five-set victory in as many opportunities.
Purdue Fort Wayne (9-4), however, was able to dodge the five-set bullet with late rallies in the first and second sets. The Mastodons climbed out of a 20-16 hole and staved off set point twice to extend and, eventually, steal the first, then chipped away at a 21-16 RMU advantage in the second, eventually closing it out on a 7-1 run.
Granger got off to an incredible start in the finale, amassing nine kills and attacking at a .900 clip at one point in the second set. She would finish with a match-high 16 kills on a .462 average, while Clements made three of her eight kills in the third to help give Robert Morris a shot at one last comeback.
She, among other less heralded underclassmen, took advantage of increased playing time as the Colonials try to surmount recent injury woes. Sophomore outside hitter
Mirna Sarjanovic registered a season-high ten kills against Purdue Fort Wayne.
Robert Morris begins NEC play next Friday at Central Connecticut. First serve from Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, Connecticut is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT.
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