Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University volleyball team enjoyed a successful Senior Night this evening, as it completed a series sweep of IUPUI with a three-set victory (25-12, 25-20, 25-16) in Horizon League action from the UPMC Events Center. RMU moves to 3-11 (3-11 HL) with the win, while the Jaguars fall to 0-10 (0-10 HL).
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Coming off a four-set win the night before, the Colonials looked to build momentum early on but IUPUI stayed step for step with the hosts in the opening set. The Jaguars trimmed the gap to 12-10 with an Allie Pogue kill, but RMU rattled off two separate 6-0 runs to ultimately take the frame at 25-12. A pair of Mirna Sarjanovic kills, two Emma Granger aces and a block assist, and a Skylar Clements kill and assisted rejection made it 18-10, then three IUPUI errors, two Alyson Londot kills, and a Sarjanovic ace finished it off and gave the Colonials a 1-0 lead for the match.
QUOTABLE
"I'm glad (the seniors) all played well tonight," said RMU head coach Dale Starr. "I'm glad they were able to get a win. Mirna (Sarjanovic) coming off her injury (from 2019) has been slow to regain her form, but she had one heck of a match tonight. Skylar (Clements) did a good job with some blocks and helped us win, and when you put her and Emma Granger next to each other, they're hard to swing at. I'm just glad we were able to get a win after an incredibly trying season and incredibly trying last year where their senior seasons were in doubt. To be able to win this match and honor them, that's something they'll remember for a long time."
SENIOR STEP-UP
One of the six student-athletes honored post-match, senior outside hitter Mirna Sarjanovic put forth her best performance of the season. She recorded a season-high 12 kills on a .344 hitting percentage, adding seven digs, two assists, and a pair of aces. The Zagreb, Croatia native entered the evening with just four kills, four aces, and 33 digs over 25 sets this season. Sarjanovic's 14.0 points are her most since she recorded 15.0 as a freshman on Aug. 26, 2017 against Oakland.
MY MARIA
Fresh off reaching the 300-block milestone, senior middle blocker Maria Alfano was outstanding once again this evening with team highs in kills (13), hitting percentage (.440), and points (14.0). Alfano's 13 kills are a season high and made it four straight matches with double-digit points. The Cranberry Township, Pa. product will enter the final weekend of the regular season ranked sixth in the Horizon League in hitting percentage (.292) and blocks per set (0.98), and is above the 3.00 points-per-set mark (3.02) for the second consecutive season.
ON A HIGH NOTE
Following the match, RMU recognized seniors Maria Alfano, Whitney Brown, Skylar Clements, Mirna Sarjanovic, and Erika Wilt, and winter graduate Lauren Kolenik as a part of Senior Night festivities. The five active players all had big roles to play in the Colonial victory, highlighted by Alfano and Sarjanovic's aforementioned contributions. Brown quarterbacked the offense with 32 assists and a pair of kills, adding six digs and a block assist defensively. Clements tallied three assisted rejections and two kills, and Wilt recorded five digs and a helper.
HIGH HONORS
The Colonials received a match-high 20 digs by junior libero Nikolette Zanolli, and sophomore defensive specialist Allena Carmody followed her with 11. Senior middle blocker Emma Granger registered four blocks (two solo) and matched Sarjanovic with two aces. IUPUI received a 24-assist, 10-dig double-double from Darragh Dixon in defeat.
NEXT UP
RMU completes the 2021 spring season with a two-match doubleheader against Northern Kentucky on Monday, March 22. The first game is set for a 3:00 p.m. start, followed by a 6:00 p.m. opening serve in the season finale. Both matches can be seen on ESPN3.
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