Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University volleyball team set another new program standard this evening, winning its 14th Northeast Conference (NEC) match with a three-set triumph over St. Francis Brooklyn (25-13, 25-19, 25-16) at the UPMC Events Center.
Robert Morris' (24-3, 14-0 NEC) 14th conference win is the most of its kind, topping the 13 victories the 2010 and 2012 sides achieved. The Colonials also captured their 12th home triumph of the season, tying the 2003 team with still the NEC Tournament to play.
Lauren Kolenik and Emma Granger shared the high honors in points, with each posting 12 kills, two blocks (one solo), and a service ace. Maria Alfano and Alyssa Hudak added nine kills apiece, and Megan Cannon dished out 36 assists from the setter position.
RMU started slow in the opening frame by falling behind 3-0. A Kolenik kill tied the set up at 5-5, sparking a 5-0 rally that allowed the Colonials to take control. They would finish the game off with a 12-2 surge, with Allena Carmody serving two of her three aces over the stretch.
St. Francis Brooklyn (13-17, 6-9 NEC) stayed near RMU for most of the middle stanza, keeping within two before two Alfano kills and a Hudak point made it 18-13. The Terriers trimmed it to three with an attack error and Vanja Miljacic kill, but the Colonials regrouped and used two Kolenik points and another Alfano kill to force a timeout from the visitors. Kolenik put the finishing touches on the set, tallying two more kills to complete it at 25-19.
RMU fell behind 3-0 once again in the third set, but responded with five consecutive points to take a lead it wouldn't relinquish. The Colonials closed by scoring six of the last nine points, with a Granger ace and Hudak kill giving the hosts their 14th sweep of the season and ninth in NEC play.
The 24 wins this season are the third most in program history behind the 2001 (30-7) and 2002 (27-12) teams.
Robert Morris finishes off the regular season next weekend with a pair of road matches. The Colonials travel to Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday, Nov. 15 at 6:00 p.m., then play Long Island at 3:00 p.m. the next day. With yesterday's win over Central Connecticut, RMU will host the NEC Tournament, which is set for the weekend of Nov. 22-23.
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