Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU volleyball team begins the 2021 season on the road this weekend, taking on three teams at the FDU Tournament presented by Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott Paramus. The Colonials open the round-robin event on Friday, Aug. 27 at 3:30 p.m. against Maryland Eastern Shore, then play a pair on Saturday, Aug. 28 against Manhattan (10:00 a.m.) and host Fairleigh Dickinson (5:30 p.m.).
MATCH #1
Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (0-0) vs. RMU Colonials (0-0)
August 27, 2021 // 3:30 p.m. // Hackensack, N.J. – Rothman Center (1,852)
Live Video: NEC Front Row // Live Stats: FDUKnights.com
MATCH #2
Manhattan Jaspers (0-0) vs. RMU Colonials (0-0)
August 28, 2021 // 10:00 a.m. // Hackensack, N.J. – Rothman Center (1,852)
Live Video: NEC Front Row // Live Stats: FDUKnights.com
MATCH #3
RMU Colonials (0-0) at Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (0-0)
August 28, 2021 // 5:30 p.m. // Hackensack, N.J. – Rothman Center (1,852)
Live Video: NEC Front Row // Live Stats: FDUKnights.com
History vs. Opponents
UMES // Overall: 3-1, Away: 1-1, Neutral: 2-0 // Last Meeting: W, 3-0 at UMES (9/14/2019)
Manhattan // Overall: 1-1, Home: 1-0, Neutral: 0-1 // Last Meeting: W, 3-0 vs. Manhattan (8/30/2019)
FDU // Overall: 35-12, Home: 16-4, Away: 15-4, Neutral: 4-4 // Last Meeting: W, 3-0 at FDU (11/15/2019)
RMU achieved a perfect 4-0 record in matches against UMES, Manhattan, and Fairleigh Dickinson when it last played each of them in 2019. The Colonials won all of those bouts with three-set sweeps, topping the Knights twice in Northeast Conference (NEC) play while knocking off the Hawks and Jaspers in non-conference tournaments.
Alyssa Hudak led the way for RMU in its previous meeting with UMES, providing 13 kills and a .320 hitting percentage. She was one of four Colonials to achieve double-digit points, joining Lauren Kolenik (12.5), Maria Alfano (11.0), and Emma Granger (11.0). Whitney Brown posted a 28-assist, 10-dig double-double as the primary setter.
RMU's sweep of Manhattan came during the inaugural sporting event held at the UPMC Events Center. The Colonials' middle blockers were stellar, as both Alfano and Granger provided eight kills and 13.0 points. Alfano added eight blocks (two solo) defensively, while Granger served a trio of aces.
In its penultimate regular-season game of the 2019 season, RMU ran its winning streak to 15 matches with a 3-0 win at FDU. Four Colonials recorded double-digit digs in Kolenik (18), Nikolette Zanolli (18), Erika Wilt (11), and Megan Cannon (10). Offensively, Alfano and Granger combined for 28 kills on a .491 hitting percentage, while Cannon's 45 assists gave her a double-double.
Bobby Mo-Mentum
RMU's debut Horizon League campaign was hampered with injuries, but the team turned the corner during the closing stretch by winning four of its final five matches. The Colonials swept Youngstown State in the back half of a two-match set, won both matches on Senior Weekend against IUPUI, and defeated the league's defending tournament champion Northern Kentucky in three sets before dropping the finale.
A total of 10 players return from the team that took the court this spring, with seven of them also contributing to RMU's last full fall season – a 25-win campaign in 2019 that ended in capturing the program's first Northeast Conference (NEC) regular-season championship in 11 years.
Wonder Woman's Last Dance
Fifth-year middle blocker Emma Granger was one of two Colonials (Alyson Londot) this season to take advantage of the NCAA waiver granting an extra year of eligibility to student-athletes. Despite playing just 21 sets in the spring due to an ankle injury, Granger's final hurrah will allow her to put a bow on what has been an illustrious career.
In 2019, the Dalton, Ohio native became the first student-athlete in program history to garner All-Region and All-America recognition after she finished sixth nationally in blocks (1.50), ninth in aces (0.56), and 23rd in points (5.03) and captured NEC Player of the Year honors unanimously. Granger owns the school record in career service aces (186), occupies three of the top-five slots in single-season aces – including the top two, and boasts the single-season total block record of 160 in 2019. She also established new single-match standards for kills (26) and points (33.0) in a five-set marathon against Central Connecticut in 2019, and ranks third all-time at RMU in hitting percentage (.330), fourth in block assists (337), and seventh in total blocks (389).
The psychology major was nominated for the Senior CLASS Award this past spring and also collected East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) Offensive Player of the Year accolades in 2019. She is a three-time All-NEC First Team selection and the 2017 NEC Rookie of the Year.
The Starr File
The program's winningest head coach, Dale Starr, begins his 12th season leading the Colonials in the fall of 2021. Starr broke his predecessor's school record of 130 wins on Nov. 9, 2018 with a three-set triumph over Fairleigh Dickinson, and currently sits at 156 victories during his time at RMU. He eclipsed the 300-win milestone for his career on Nov. 8, 2019 versus Central Connecticut, and has compiled 306 total across three head coaching stops (RMU, McNeese, Mississippi University for Women).
Starr has led the Colonials to a pair of championships, winning the 2015 NEC Tournament and 2019 NEC regular-season crowns. The 2019 NEC Coach of the Year also strives for his team to excel in the classroom, as RMU has won seven NEC Team GPA Awards, eight American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Awards, and the Horizon League Raise Your Sights Award for the school in 2020-21.
New to RMU
RMU's roster features 16 student-athletes, six of which are incoming freshmen in Jaidan Hockman, Tatum Otolski, Ally Christman, Ashleigh Wallin, Page Gross, and Abby Powers. The six hail from four different states (Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia) and are made up of two middle blockers, two right sides, a defensive specialist, and setter.
Hockman, a defensive specialist from North Canton, Ohio, was the Stark County Defensive Player of the Year and All-Federal League Second Team as a senior. She helped lead NOVA Club Juniors to the 16 USA Patriot Division title in 2019 and also competed in gymnastics at Jackson.
Otolski, a middle blocker from Grand Rapids, Mich., garnered Under Armour All-America Watch List consideration prior to her senior season at Forest Hills Central. She helped lead the Michigan Volleyball Academy to the 2020 JVA Rock 'N Rumble championship and was an Academic All-America and All-Conference pick in high school.
Christman, a right side from Ross, Ohio, also collected Under Armour All-America Watch List recognition prior to her senior season. She was an All-League First Team and All-District Second Team selection in 2020, and posted 448 kills, .247 hitting percentage, 366 digs, 60 blocks, and 50 aces in 216 career sets at Mount Notre Dame.
Wallin, a setter from Martinsburg, W.Va., was a four-time All-Region, All-Conference, and All-State selection at Martinsburg. She collected Under Armour All-America All-Region and PrepVolleyball.com Special Mention All-America accolades in 2020, and owns the school records at Martinsburg for career assists (2,200) and service aces (289).
Gross, a middle blocker from Hudson, Ohio, graduated from Hudson one year early to join RMU ahead of this season. She led the Suburban League in blocks and hitting percentage in 2019-20, and captured a pair of AVCA Phenom Watch List nods in those same years.
Powers, a right side from Edgewood, Ky., helped lead Notre Dame Academy to four 35th District and two 9th Region championships, as well as a 2019 state semifinalist berth. She was named to the Under Armour All-America Watch List, AVCA Phenom List, and PrepVolleyball.com Frosh 59, and registered 733 kills and 225 blocks over her high school career.
Also "new" to RMU is volunteer assistant coach Lauren Kolenik, who joins the team in a new capacity after graduating in the fall of 2020. Kolenik previously spent two seasons on the Colonials roster, factoring heavily into the team's 2019 NEC regular-season title run. In that campaign, she ranked third on the team in kills (2.54), digs (2.85), and points (2.99), and fifth in blocks (0.53) while appearing in 96 total sets.
Up Next
RMU returns home for its annual home tournament next weekend, the RMU / Chick-Fil-A Robinson Labor Day Volleyball Classic. The Colonials will welcome Duquesne, Idaho, and Liberty to the UPMC Events Center as the venue will see six matches be played between Friday, Sept. 3 and Saturday, Sept. 4. RMU hosts Liberty at 10:00 a.m. and Idaho at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, before concluding the tournament with local rival Duquesne at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.
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