MATCH 18
Friday, Oct. 8, 2021
UPMC Events Center • Moon Township, Pa.
Youngstown State (4-12 / 1-4 #HLVB) vs. RMU (8-9 / 1-4 #HLVB)
 
Can You Dig It?
 
- The RMU volleyball team returns home to the UPMC Events Center Friday to kick off Homecoming festivities by hosting Youngstown State in a 6:00 p.m. match. It's Alumni Night, with a special mixer to follow at Four Twelve Winery.
 
- The Colonials took to the road for their first Horizon League match away from home Tuesday, dropping a 3-1 decision @ Northern Kentucky (10/5).
 
- Against the Norse, sophomore outside hitter Annie Monaco notched her third consecutive double-digit effort in kills, leading RMU with 13 while also adding nine digs to finish just shy of a double-double.
 
- Outside hitter Alyssa Hudak added 12 kills, a .333 attack percentage and three digs for the Colonials at Northern Kentucky, while senior setter Megan Cannon finished with a team-high 20 assists.
 
- RMU sits atop the Horizon League leaderboard in service aces, having posted 133 in 64 sets, an average of 2.08 per set. The Colonials also rank fourth in the circuit in hitting percentage (.193) and blocks (1.99 per set).
 
- Three Colonials rank in the top 10 in the Horizon League in service aces. Graduate student Emma Granger paces the conference with an average of 0.63 per set, while freshman Ashleigh Wallin ranks sixth (0.38) and senior Nikolette Zanolli 10th (0.33).
 
- In home matches at the UPMC Events Center during the 2021 season, Granger owns a team-high 66 kills (2.54 per set) to go along with a .322 attack percentage, 13 service aces and 33 blocks.
 
- RMU takes to the road for eight of its next nine after taking on the Penguins Friday. The Colonials open a three-match road swing Thursday, Oct. 14, with a 7:00 p.m. match at Milwaukee. RMU will also take on Green Bay (10/15) and UIC (10/17) during its Midwest swing.

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The All-Time Series (Youngstown State) – The Penguins and Colonials will match up on the hardwood for the 41st time Friday, with YSU owning a 32-8 (.800) lead in the all-time series. In a two-match set last spring at Youngstown State, RMU split a pair of matches, falling in the opener, March 8, in five sets before earning a 3-0 sweep, March 9, to conclude the series. The win over the Penguins was the first for the Colonials in program history in Horizon League play, with graduate student Alyson Londot leading the way with 10 kills, a .241 hitting percentage, two blocks and a pair of digs.
 
Bobby Mo(naco) – Sophomore outside hitter Annie Monaco is in the midst of the best stretch of her young career as the Colonials get set to host Youngstown State Friday at the UPMC Events Center. She has recorded double digits in kills in three consecutive matches after pacing RMU @ Northern Kentucky (10/5) with 13. Over her last three matches, Monaco has racked up 40 kills, a .302 hitting percentage and 29 digs. She recorded a double-double in a 3-0 sweep of IUPUI (10/2) and on the other two occasions missed a double-double in each match by just one dig. Monaco leads the Colonials in attack percentage at .275, which ranks seventh in the Horizon League.
 
Dig Me Out – Senior libero Nikolette Zanolli has settled into a groove for the Colonials in recent weeks, as the defensive specialist has compiled 41 digs in her last five matches since returning from injury, averaging 2.56 per set. Zanolli, who ranks third for RMU in digs during the 2021 campaign with 89, is 24 shy of becoming the 13th student-athlete in program history with 1,000 career digs.
 
Ace Ventura – Graduate student Emma Granger, who owns the RMU career record for service aces with 224, continues to rank among the NCAA leaders in the category. Her per set average of 0.63 ranks sixth in NCAA Divisoin I, while her 38 total service aces ranks second, trailing only Dani Nay (42) of Weber State. As a team, RMU remains atop the leaderboard across the land with 133 total services, ahead of Saint Louis (132), Towson (127), Providence (126) and Delaware State (125). At 2.08 aces per set, the Colonials rank sixth in NCAA Division I.
 
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