Kent, Ohio – What a difference a year makes.
One year after stumbling out of the gates at 0-6, the Robert Morris University volleyball team has done a complete 180, reaching 6-0 for the first time in program history with a pair of four-set victories over Valparaiso and Kent State today at the Golden Flashes Classic.
Robert Morris opened the day at 4-0, one of three teams over 39 seasons as a program to win their first four matches. The Colonials matched the school record established by the 1987 side with a comeback win over Valparaiso (20-25, 29-27, 25-19, 25-23), then broke it in the nightcap against tournament host Kent State (25-17, 23-25, 25-17, 25-20).
Emma Granger, who collected Tournament MVP accolades at its conclusion, began the day with 16 kills and nine blocks (three solo) against the Crusaders. Lauren Kolenik posted a 15-kill, 15-dig double-double in her second RMU appearance, while Alyssa Hudak and Maria Alfano recorded 10 kills each. Whitney Brown missed out on her fourth straight double-double with 54 assists and nine digs.
Granger came up big in the second set against Valparaiso, finding the floor to halt a four-point rally at 25-24. Neither the Colonials nor Crusaders could find an edge on the next five points, but then a bad set gave Hudak the chance to finish the frame at 29-27 and tie the match at 1-1.
RMU took control of the third set after a 7-7 deadlock, scoring 12 of the next 18 points to make it 19-13. Valparaiso responded with a three-point run, but then a block by Brown and Alfano and an attack error pushed the gap to five. The Crusaders would pull within four twice; however, kills from Alfano, Hudak, and Kolenik finished the job and made it 2-1 to the Colonials.
RMU earned the victory in the fourth stanza by withstanding four three-point rallies. The fourth made it 19-19, but the Colonials jumped back ahead with an Alfano kill and Erika Wilt solo block. The teams would trade the next seven points to make it 24-23, then Granger provided the winning point with her 16th kill of the match.
Granger and Hudak both tallied a team-best 13 kills in the nightcap against the Golden Flashes. Skylar Clements made her season debut and provided seven kills and a team-high six blocks (one solo), while Megan Cannon collected 45 assists and five blocks (one solo).
Tied 1-1 for the match, the Colonials trailed early on in the third set, but went on five different multi-point rallies to make it 18-12. Clements and Hudak answered back-to-back Kent State points, then kills by Emily Devlin and Wilt along with two errors by the hosts made it set point at 24-16. Clements sealed the frame with another kill, putting RMU on the cusp of a record start.
The Colonials would finish complete the tournament sweep by tallying nine of the last 14 points. Up 16-15, RMU took advantage of a ball handling error, then got points from Devlin and Clements to make it a four-point gap. The Golden Flashes trimmed it to 21-19, but committed errors on a serve and swing. Granger followed that up with a solo block and a kill to send the Colonials home with their perfect record intact.
Over the weekend, Granger collected 36 kills (3.27 per set) on a .346 hitting percentage with 23 blocks (2.09 per set) to earn Tournament MVP honors. Nikolette Zanolli, who matched the RMU three-set record with 31 digs against Idaho State yesterday, recorded 75 in all (6.82 per set) to join the junior middle blocker on the All-Tournament Team.
Robert Morris returns home looking to build upon its new record, starting with a match on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 7:00 p.m. against Duquesne.
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