Loretto, Pa. – For the first time in 15 years, the Robert Morris University volleyball team reached the 20-win plateau, reaching the mark with a straight-set sweep of Saint Francis U (25-15, 25-14, 25-14) this evening in Northeast Conference (NEC) play from DeGol Arena.
Playing for the first time in 11 days, Robert Morris (20-3, 10-0 NEC) showed little rust in extending its run to 30 of 32 conference sets won. The Colonials hit over .300 for the sixth time this season at .354, held Saint Francis U (3-18, 3-7 NEC) to a .079 hitting percentage and served up eight aces to the hosts' one.
Emma Granger led the way with 13 kills on 17 swings, committing just a single error for a conversion rate of .706. The .706 hitting percentage is a career best and the sixth time this season she has connected on at least half of her attempts.
Alyssa Hudak and Maria Alfano followed Granger up with nine and eight kills, respectively. Alfano hit .500 on 14 swings, while Hudak reached the .300 mark for the fourth time in the last five matches, coming in with a .319 conversion rate.
Granger and Alfano posted four blocks each, coming behind Emily Devlin's five for team honors. Nikolette Zanolli served four aces and collected 10 digs, while Whitney Brown dished out 27 assists and three aces.
RMU fell behind 7-4 in the first set before ripping off a 14-4 rally to take control. In that run contained seven straight points, highlighted by a pair of kills by Hudak and Granger, and a block from the latter and Brown. Hudak scored the penultimate point with another kill, with a Madi Tyus attack error giving the visitors an opening-frame victory.
Lauren Kolenik began the middle stanza with a kill, sparking a 7-1 start that set the tone for the frame. Zanolli fired half of her four aces over that stretch, while Alfano and Granger netted kills. The Colonials would tack on with three separate 3-0 runs, and finished the set off with a combo rejection by Alfano and Devlin to make it 25-14.
RMU again started hot in the third frame, opening a 5-1 lead with a Granger Kill, but SFU answered with six of the next seven points to take an advantage. The Red Flash lead reached 12-11, then the Colonials rattled off six consecutive points with two Zanolli aces, and kills from Alfano, Brown, and Granger. SFU briefly stopped the run with a Tyus point, but RMU finished the match off with a 9-1 rally to collect its 20th win.
In addition to achieving their eighth 20-win season in program history, the victory also gave the Colonials their best NEC start at 10-0. RMU's previous standard of 9-0 came in the league unbeaten seasons of 1999 and 2002, with those sides joined by the 1993 (7-0), 2003 (8-0), 2004 (8-0), and 2008 (8-0) as those who finished league play without a loss.
Granger's service ace in the second set tied the program record of 161, established by 2001 RMU Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Kristie Tuxford from 1992-95.
After a four-match road swing, Robert Morris returns home for four at the UPMC Events Center, beginning with a pair this weekend. The Colonials host Bryant on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7:00 p.m., then face Sacred Heart at 5:00 p.m. the next day.
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