MATCHES 1-2-3
 
RMU (0-0) vs. Kent State (0-0)
Friday, August 26 • 4:00 p.m.
Sinclair Gymnasium • Harrisonburg, Va.
 
RMU @ James Madison (0-0)
Saturday, August 27 • 10:00 a.m.
Sinclair Gymnasium • Harrisonburg, Va.
 
RMU vs. UAlbany (0-0)
Saturday, August 27 • 4:00 p.m.
Sinclair Gymnasium • Harrisonburg, Va.
 
Can You Dig It?
 
- The RMU volleyball team opens its 2022 campaign with three matches at the JMU Invitational in Harrisonburg, Va., at Sinclair Gymnasium. The Colonials open with a 4:00 p.m. match against Kent State Friday, August 26, before concluding play in the invite with two matches Saturday, opening with the host Dukes at 10:00 a.m. before taking on UAlbany at 4:00 p.m.
 
- Danny Doherty is in his first full season leading the Colonials after being named head coach Dec. 31, 2021. He served as interim head coach for the final four matches of the 2021 campaign.
 
- RMU returns 11 letterwinners from 2021, including junior middle blocker/right side Emma Brown and junior outside hitter Abby Ryan, who each started a team-high 12 matches for the Colonials.
 
- Ryan led the Colonials last season with an average of 2.18 kills per set and in two seasons at RMU has amassed 325 career kills and a .109 attack percentage. She has also notched career totals of 239 digs, 21 service aces and 28 total blocks.
 
 - RMU's active leader in career kills is fifth-year outside hitter Alyssa Hudak, who has posted 674 in 323 career sets, an average of 2.09 per set. Hudak is two matches away from 100 on her career and also owns career totals of a .202 attack percentage, 229 digs and 150 total blocks.
 
- The Colonials will be bolstered by the return of setter Ashleigh Wallin, who as a rookie in 2021 ranked ninth in the Horizon league in assists per set (5.78). She notched 636 dimes in 110 sets while also recording 41 service aces and 141 digs. Wallin finished sixth in #HLVB in service aces per set (0.37).
 
- Senior Allena Carmody finished ninth in the Horizon League last season in digs, averaging 3.40 per set. She posted 326 overall on the year and enters the 2022 campaign as RMU's active leader in the category with 648.
 
- RMU returns home after taking part in the JMU Invitational for the Chick-fil-A Robinson Labor Day Classic. The Colonials will host William & Mary (11 a.m.) and Canisius (6:00 p.m.) Friday, Sept. 2, at the UPMC Events Center.

JMU INVITATIONAL LINKS
- Live Stats vs. Kent State (8/26/22)
- Live Stats @ James Madison (8/27/22)
- Video @ James Madison (8/27/22)
- Live Stats vs. UAlbany (8/27/22)
 
The All-Time Series (Kent State) – Kent State owns a 14-4 (.778) advantage in the all-time series against RMU, but the Colonials have won each of the last two meetings. At the Golden Flashes Classic in the last meeting between the two programs, the Colonials earned a victory over Kent State (9/7/19) in four sets. Former middle blocker Emma Granger (2017-21), who was named MVP of the classic, finished with 13 kills, tying for team-high honors in the match with outside hitter Alyssa Hudak. In 2018 at the North Athletic Complex, the Colonials posted a 3-2 win over Kent State (9/5/18), with former outside hitter Alyson Londot (2017-21) registering 15 kills, three service aces and two blocks.
 
The All-Time Series (James Madison) – Saturday's match against the host Dukes marks the sixth in the all-time series, with JMU having won each of the previous five. In the last meeting between the two programs as part of the 2018 Charm City Challenge in Baltimore, Md., James Madison posted a 3-0 win over the Colonials.
 
The All-Time Series (UAlbany) – For just the second time in school history RMU goes up against the Great Danes Saturday to close out the JMU Invitational. The only meeting between the two programs came Sept. 27, 2003, a 3-1 win for UAlbany as part of the Sheraton Invitational on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Former outside hitter Breanne Schenk (2000-03) led the Colonials in the match by notching a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs.
 
How About That – As RMU embarks on the Danny Doherty era Friday, he'll square off in his first match of the season against a foe he is familiar with. Doherty is a 2010 graduate of Kent State, and while an undergrad with the Golden Flashes he played both middle blocker and outside hitter for the men's club team. Doherty hired his first assistant coach in April of 2022, welcoming Tilbe Yaglioglu to the staff. She is a 2020 graduate of James Madison, helping the Dukes to consecutive Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament titles (2016, 2017) and subsequent bids to the NCAA Tournament. JMU happens to be RMU's second opponent of the 2022 campaign.
 
Making The Grade – Junior Abby Ryan was one of three Colonials to claim 2021 Horizon League All-Academic Team Honorable Mention honors. A nursing major, Ryan owns a 3.78 cumulative grade point average and is a four-time member of the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll. Ryan produced three double-doubles last year, including a career-high 20 kills to go along with 12 digs in a 3-2 victory over UMES (8/27) in the 2021 season opener for the Colonials.

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