MATCHES 22-23_­

RMU (5-16, 2-8 #HLVB) vs Oakland (12-9, 6-3 #HLVB)
Friday, October 20 • 6:00 p.m.
UPMC Events Center • Moon Township, Pa.
 
RMU (5-16, 2-8 #HLVB) vs Cleveland State (11-9, 5-4 #HLVB)
Saturday, October 21 • 4:00 p.m.
UPMC Events Center • Moon Township, Pa..
 
Can You Dig It?
- The Colonials return to Moon Township for a pair of home matches, welcoming Oakland on Friday, Oct. 20 before battling Cleveland State on Saturday, Oct. 21 at the UPMC Events Center.

- The RMU volleyball team took a trip to Northern Kentucky on Tuesday night, dropping a 3-1 decision to the Norse in a tightly contested battle at Regents Hall Arena.

- Between 35 total ties and 15 lead changes, the two squads traded runs all evening long. In the opening stanza, RMU jumped out to an early 4-3 lead before scoring eight of the next 12 points to hold a 12-7 advantage.

- Graduate student Rosina Esposito paced the surge with a pair of kills while senior Emma Brown and freshman Natalie Stepanovich each collected a point. After trading the next eight scores, Northern Kentucky trimmed the Colonial lead 21-17. Stepanovich would recorded two successful swings out of the next four points scored before the Norse registered six consecutive points to take an early match advantage

- In the third frame, the Norse took a 12-9 advantage before RMU mounted a 7-2 surge to claim the lead, 16-14. Junior Abby Powers sparked the run with a kill before classmate Ashleigh Wallin tallied a service ace. Northern Kentucky countered with four-straight scores to reclaim the lead before the Colonials netted four of the next six points to knot the score 20-20.

- Sophomore Hillarie Adams recorded two points while powers and junior Ally Christman each found the floor successfully. After trading the next six points to be tied at 23-all, Brown and Adams registered back-to-back kills to secure a set three victory for RMU.

- Posting her 10th double-double of the campaign, Stepanovich led RMU with a team-high 18 digs and 11 kills, with one ace. Brown registered a team-best .391 attacking percentage while collecting 10 kills and one dig.

- Adams was the third Colonial in double-figures, ending with 10 kills and eight digs while Eric carded five successful swings, two digs, and a pair of blocks. Wallin controlled the offense with 22 assists and five digs while tallying three aces on the night.

- Graduate student Allena Carmody totaled 16 digs and two assists while Hockman recorded 10 digs, one kill, one assist, and one service ace.

- RMU begins a three-game road trip next week, traveling to Wright State on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

OAKLAND/CLEVELAND STATE LINKS
Live Stats vs Oakland
Video vs Oakland
Live Stats vs Cleveland State
Video vs Cleveland State
RMU Athletics Gameday App

The All-Time Series (Oakland) – It'll be the 11^th all-time meeting between the Colonials and Golden Grizzlies as Oakland has won 10 straight against RMU. Earlier this season, the Golden Grizzlies captured a 3-0 sweep over the Colonials at the OU Credit Union O'rena. Natalie Stepanovich paced RMU with 12 kills, seven digs, and one service ace. Hillarie Adams registered 11 successful swings with one dig and one assist while Rosina Esposito posted three points. Graduate student Allena Carmody netted a team-high 18 digs, to go along with three assists and one ace. Ashleigh Wallin tallied 11 assists and four digs while Kaitlyn Brown recorded seven assists and three digs.

The All-Time Series (Cleveland State) – RMU and Cleveland State will battle for the 12^th time in the series on Saturday as the Colonials captured its first win over the Vikings earlier this season (9/22). After dropping the opening frame in Cleveland, Ohio, RMU rattled off three straight sets to secure its first conference victory of the season, with a 3-1 decision over Cleveland State at Woodling Gymnasium. It was a back-and-forth affair in the final frame as there were 11 ties and five lead changes. The two squads traded the opening eight points before Cleveland State scored four of the next six points to hold an 8-6 lead. The Colonials would bounce back with a 7-2 run of their own to secure a 13-10 advantage. Stepanovich sparked the streak with a kill before collecting another two points later. Junior Ashleigh Wallin registered a service ace before Stepanovich and Esposito each found the floor successfully. Cleveland State would not go away quietly as they mounted a 5-2 surge to trim the deficit, 19-17. After a pair of points by RMU, the Vikings rallied off five of the next six points to tie the score 22-22. An Esposito kill would give the Colonials the lead, until the Vikings secured back-to-back points, 24-23. Adams responded for RMU with two successful swings to regain the lead before a Powers point and an ace by junior Jaidan Hockman sealed the deal for the Colonials, 27-25.

A trio of Colonials paced the RMU offense as they all registered double-figure kills. Natalie Stepanovich led the way with her fifth double-double of the season with 24 digs and 15 kills. She tallied four kills in each of the first two sets before rattling off five in the final frame. Hillarie Adams registered 14 kills and three digs while posting five successful swings in the third set and four in the fourth stanza. Rosina Esposito finished with 12 kills and a .310 hitting percentage while collecting three digs, two blocks, and one assist on Friday. She recorded six kills alone in the fourth set while hitting at a .600 clip.

Abby Powers recorded her best performance of the season so far, finishing with nine kills on 19 attempts, with just one error and an impressive .421 attacking percentage. She also collected a dig and a block while Emma Brown rattled off seven kills and a block. Ashleigh Wallin netted her second straight double-double, finishing with 28 assists, 10 digs, and two service aces. Kailtyn Brown registered her third assist/dig double-double on the year, with 15 assists, 14 digs, and a service ace. Allena Carmody recorded a career-high 31 digs to go along with three assists and two aces for the Colonials. Azra Eric paced the team with three blocks while totaling seven digs and Jaidan Hockman finished with six digs and an ace.

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