MATCHES 10-12
MOUNTAINEER INVITATIONAL
WVU Coliseum • Morgantown, W.Va.
 
Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021
RMU (6-3) vs. UMBC (3-8) • 10:00 a.m.
Friday, Sept. 17, 2021
RMU vs. No. 20 Penn State (5-3) • 11:00 a.m.
George Washington (0-8) vs. RMU • 4:30 p.m.
 
Can You Dig It?
 
- The RMU volleyball team concludes its 2021 non-conference schedule this week with the Mountaineer Invitational in Morgantown, W.Va., at the WVU Coliseum.
 
- The Colonials open the tournament against UMBC at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 16, and have two matches Friday, Sept. 17. RMU goes up against No. 20 Penn State at 11:00 a.m. before wrapping up play in the invite with a 4:30 p.m. match against George Washington. All three matches can be seen live on ESPN+.
 
- At the George Mason Invitational last weekend in Fairfax, Va., RMU posted a 2-1 record, earning a five-set victory over Coppin State (9/10) and knocking off Morgan State (9/10), 3-1. The Colonials concluded the tournament with a 3-2 setback to Marist (9/11).
 
- Sophomore Abby Ryan finished with a team-high 27 kills at the George Mason Invitational while also producing a .154 attack percentage, 38 digs, four blocks and a pair of service aces. She enters the Mountaineer Invitational tops for the Colonials this season in kills 101 and kills per set (2.97).
 
- In victories over the Eagles and Bears, sophomore Annie Monaco racked up 32 kills, a .361 attack percentage, 22 digs and five blocks. She recorded her first career double-double in the triumph over Coppin State, establishing career highs in both kills (17) and digs (16).
 
- As a team the Colonials posted a .237 attack percentage in the George Mason Invitational and were led individually by Monaco (.293). RMU enters the Mountaineer Invitational ranked third in the Horizon League in hitting percentage (.218), trailing only Oakland (.249) and Milwaukee (.239).
 
- Graduate student Emma Granger leads the Horizon League in per set averages for service aces (0.59) and blocks (1.15) while ranking fifth in the circuit in attack percentage (.300).
 
- Junior Allena Carmody set a new personal best in digs for the second consecutive match in RMU's five-set triumph over Coppin State (9/10), recording 29. She ranks eighth in the Horizon League in digs per set (4.23).
 
- Four Colonials rank among the top 10 individually in the Horizon League in service aces per set. In addition to Granger leading the league, freshman Ashleigh Wallin ranks fifth (0.42), Ryan ranks seventh (0.35) and rookie Ally Christman ranks eighth (0.35). Ryan owns 12 service aces in 34 sets, while Christman has recorded eight in 23 sets.
 
- RMU opens Horizon League play after taking part in the Mountaineer Invitational, returning home to the UPMC Events Center to host Cleveland State at 6:00 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24. It's the opener of a four-match homestand in which the Colonials will also host Oakland (9/25), Purdue Fort Wayne (10/1) and IUPUI (10/2).

MOUNTAINEER INVITATIONAL LINKS
- Video (vs. UMBC) - 9/16/21
- Video (vs. Penn State) - 9/17/21
- Video (vs. George Washington) - 9/17/21
 
The All-Time Series – RMU owns a combined record of 10-11 (.476) against the three opponents it will face in the Mountaineer Invitational, including a 9-6 (.600) mark against UMBC, 0-4 against Penn State and 1-1 (.500) against George Washington. The Colonials have won three consecutive in the all-time series against the Retrievers entering Thursday's match, with each of the three victories having gone five full sets. In the last meeting between the two programs Sept. 7. 2018, graduate students Emma Granger and Alyson Londot each tied for team-high honors with 13 kills in the win. The duo combined for a hitting percentage of .429, suffering just five attack errors.
 
The All-Time Series Part Deux – The Colonials haven't faced Penn State since Sept. 5, 2009, when the Nittany Lions were ranked No. 1 in the country and earned a 3-0 victory over RMU. Meanwhile, Friday marks the first time a pair of Colonials match up on the volleyball court since 2003. RMU earned a 3-0 sweep over George Washington Oct. 24, 2003, at John Jay Gym, with Breanne Schenk (12) and Megan Bell (10) combining for 22 kills and a .373 attack percentage. Bell, the program's all-time leader in kills (1,435), also recorded a double-double thanks to 11 digs.
 
Ace Ventura – Thanks to four student-athletes ranking in the top 10 individually in the Horizon League for service aces, RMU sits atop the leaderboard as a team with an average of 2.32 per set. That total also ranks fourth in NCAA Division I, trailing Texas (2.50), Illinois (2.35) and Eastern Illinois (2.32). The Panthers own 72 service aces in 31 sets, with the Colonials having posted 88 in 38 sets. Those 88 service aces for RMU ranks No. 1 among all NCAA Division I programs through Sept. 12, 2021. Ranking fifth in NCAA Division I for service aces? The host of the tournament the Colonials will take part in beginning Thursday, as West Virginia owns 60 aces in 26 sets, an average of 2.31 per set.
 
Blockbuster – Graduate student Emma Granger moved into fourth place all-time at RMU in career blocks last weekend at the George Mason Invitational. Granger recorded a season-high 12 blocks (two solo, 10 assists) against Marist (9/11), pushing her career total to 428. She also ranks second in the RMU career record book for block assists (369), trailing only former Colonial Becky Jay (2011-14), who concluded her career with 397. A look at the top five at RMU for total blocks …
 

Name (Years)	No.
1. Becky Jay (2011-14)	463
2. Kristie Tuxford (1992-95)	460
3. Amanda Graham (2007-10)	438
4. Emma Granger (2017-21)	428
5. Hannah Veith (2008-11)	422

I Got Five On It – Four of RMU's first nine matches of the 2021 campaign have gone a full five sets, with the Colonials owning a record of 3-1 (.750) in those contests. In a 3-2 triumph over Morgan State (9/10) as part of the George Mason Invitational, RMU established a season high in attack percentage at .311, recording 48 kills in 122 attempts while suffering just 10 attack errors, a season low. Also on the 2021 campaign the Colonials are 2-0 in matches that go three sets and are 4-1 (.800) in matches played at a neutral site.

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