Moon Township, Pa. – The RMU volleyball team dropped its opening two matches of the RMU / Chick-Fil-A Robinson Labor Day Classic to Liberty and Idaho today at the UPMC Events Center, falling in both bouts by four sets. RMU falls to 3-2 on the season, while Liberty sits at 2-0 and Idaho owns a 2-3 record.
Liberty 3, RMU 1 (21-25, 25-19, 20-25, 15-25)
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Tied 1-1 for the match, RMU took a 12-10 lead in the third set thanks to an Emma Granger kill, Kennedi Sutter attack error, and Abby Ryan service aces. That two-point edge remained at 14-12, but a 6-2 run by Liberty gave the visitors a 19-16 advantage and forced a Colonials timeout. RMU returned from the break with an Emma Brown kill, but that briefly stopped the bleeding as the Flames scored seven of the final nine points to claim a 2-1 advantage in the match.
EMMA SQUARED
The middle blocker duo of Emma Brown and Emma Granger combined for 23.5 of the Colonials' 58 points against Liberty this morning. Granger provided production in a multitude of areas once again, compiling eight kills, three aces, and a trio of blocks (one solo) as a part of her team-best 13.0-point performance. For the second straight match, Brown connected at a .500 clip with a career-high nine kills, adding three block assists for a total of 10.5 points.
KEEP BATTLING
The Colonials were staring down a 2-0 deficit for the match in the second set, having called their first timeout with the score 17-12 in favor of the visitors. Alyson Londot swung the moment back in RMU's favor with a kill out of the break, then a combo block by Brown and Abby Powers made it 17-14. The run reached five straight points with another Londot swing and Granger ace, forcing a Liberty timeout at a 17-17 deadlock. The tie remained through 19-19 before RMU closed on a 6-0 run, thanks to two Brown kills and combo block with Emily Devlin, a successful swing from Ryan, and two service aces from Jaidan Hockman.
NOTABLES
Alyson Londot paced the Colonials in kills with 10, netting 10.5 points with an added block assist. Ashleigh Wallin (19) and Megan Cannon (18) combined for 37 of the team's 39 assists, while Granger and Hockman dished out a team-best three aces each. Nikolette Zanolli and Abby Ryan were both in double figures for digs, collecting 11 and 10, respectively.
Idaho 3, RMU 1 (25-27, 26-24, 25-27, 21-25)
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Again knotted at 1-1 for the match, RMU trailed by as much as 15-9 in the third set before going on a 5-1 run to force an Idaho timeout. Ally Christman and Allena Carmody both served aces over the stretch, while Emily Devlin and Ryan collected kills. The Colonials continued to match the Vandals before taking the lead at 22-21 with another Ryan swing, and forced set point at 24-23 following an Idaho service error. RMU couldn't capitalize at 24-23 or 25-24, however, as the Vandals finished the frame with three straight points to go ahead 2-1 and take control of the match.
SUPER SOPHOMORE
Abby Ryan continued her strong start of the season, leading the way against the Vandals with 16 kills and 18.0 points. The Orchard Park, N.Y. native added two block assists and a service ace, and has now led the Colonials in kills in three of their five matches thus far. Ryan ranked second on the team in kills per set (2.55) as a freshman this past spring, and has since increased that number to 3.28 kills per set in the early portion of 2021.
MOVING ON UP
Fifth-year middle blocker Emma Granger continued adding to her illustrious resume over today's two matches, moving into third place all-time at RMU in block assists (349), sixth in total blocks (404), and ninth in kills (1,075). Already the program's record holder for career service aces, the Dalton, Ohio product is two shy of reaching the 200-ace milestone after accumulating five between the two matches.
NOTABLES
Granger joined Ryan in double-figure kills with 11, totaling 16.5 points with five blocks (two solo) and two aces. Cannon provided the bulk of the Colonials' assists with 25, while Wallin added 18 in the timeshare. Carmody served a pair of aces, and Christman collected a career-high 14 digs.
NEXT UP
RMU finishes out play at the Chick-Fil-A Robinson Labor Day Classic with local rival Duquesne at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow. The match can be seen live on ESPN+.
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