Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU volleyball team notched its second consecutive home victory Friday night at the UPMC Events Center to kickoff Homecoming weekend at the University, earning a five-set win over Youngstown State, 3-2. The Colonials improved to 9-9 (.500) overall during the 2021 season, including 2-4 (.333) in the Horizon League.
THE FIRST FOUR
The Colonials grabbed the first two sets by identical scores of 25-23 before the Penguins (4-13 / 1-5 #HLVB) rallied, grabbing an 8-0 lead to open the third set. The advantage swelled to 19-7 before RMU used an 8-1 surge to pull within 20-15, which was capped by a kill from graduate student
Alyson Londot. YSU steadied and earned a 25-19 win and forced a fifth set by posting a 25-18 triumph in the fourth set.
THE CLOSER
RMU was able to pick up the win in set two when outside hitter
Ally Christman was inserted into the lineup for the first time during the match. She promptly provided a service ace that gave the Colonials the win and a 2-0 advantage in the match. Christman turned the trick again in the fifth set, as her substitution with RMU on top, 13-12, gave her the chance to serve. She again provided an ace, giving the Colonials a 14-12 lead. Paula Gursching, who took home match-high honors with 24 kills and a .302 hitting percentage, pulled Youngstown State to within 14-13 with a kill, but her attack error on a chance to tie the set for a ninth time gave RMU the set and match.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Londot was on fire in the opening two sets for the Colonials, racking up eight kills and a .727 hitting percentage in the first set and three more kills in the second. She finished with a season-high 16 kills, just two off her career high, and also recorded a .300 hitting percentage, three digs and four block assists. Fellow grad student
Emma Granger rebounded from a slow start to contribute 13 kills and six blocks, including three and two, respectively, in the deciding set. It marked the second time on the 2021 season the fifth-year student-athletes each finished in double digits in kills, as the duo also turned the trick in a five-set win over Duquesne (9/2). Over the last five seasons, RMU has posted a record of 9-8 (.529) when Granger and Londot each reach the double-digit threshold for kills in the same match.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Three nights after posting just one service ace @ Northern Kentucky (9/5), a season low, the Colonials finished with 11 in the win over the Penguins. It marked the sixth time during the 2021 season RMU has posted 10 or more service aces, with the Colonials having posted a 5-1 (.833) mark in those contests. Freshman
Jaidan Hockman led RMU with three service aces Friday against Youngstown State, and in addition to the pair from Christman, senior
Nikolette Zanolli and sophomore
Annie Monaco each finished with two.
THE ROOKIE AND THE VETERAN
Freshman
Ashleigh Wallin has settled into her role as the primary setter for the Colonials in recent weeks, and she came through again Friday. Wallin eclipsed 30 assists for the third time in the last four matches, establishing a career high with 39 against the Penguins. RMU is 4-1 (.800) this season when Wallin posts at least 30 assists in a match. Zanolli, meanwhile, finished with a team-high 11 digs against YSU Friday, pushing her career total in the category to 987. She is 13 digs shy of becoming just the 13th student-athlete in program history to eclipse 1,000 career digs.
UP NEXT
A stretch of four out of five at home now complete, the Colonials will take to the road for eight of their next nine matches. It begins with a three-match swing through the Midwest next week. RMU visits Milwaukee Thursday, Oct. 14, before traveling to Green Bay Friday, Oct. 15. The trip concludes Sunday, Oct. 17, with a 3:00 p.m. match at UIC.
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