Fort Wayne, Ind. – The RMU volleyball team wrapped up its trip to Indianapolis, falling to Purdue Fort Wayne 3-0 on Saturday afternoon in conference action at the Gates Sports Center.

With the slip, the Colonials drop to 4-15 this season, with a 1-7 mark in Horizon League play. Meanwhile, the Mastodons improve to 7-12 overall behind a 2-5 record in league action.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
In the opening set, Purdue Fort Wayne came out swinging, using a spectacular attacking percentage of .531, along with 18 kills on only one error to claim the opening frame, 25-18. RMU opened the stanza on a 3-1 run, thanks to kills from sophomore Hillarie Adams and freshman Natalie Stepanovich. The Mastodons responded by scoring eight of the next 11 points to claim a 9-6 early advantage. After an Adams point, Purdue Fort Wayne used a 6-3 surge to jump out to a 15-10 lead midway through the set. Later in the frame, the Colonials mounted a 5-1 spurt to trim the deficit, 22-17. Senior Emma Brown paced the charge with a pair of successful swings while Adams and graduate student Rosina Esposito each collected a kill.

TWO TO THE THREE
RMU began the second frame with a 5-3 advantage until the Mastodons boosted a 16-2 run, behind a .375 hitting percentage to claim a 2-0 set advantage, 25-12. In the third set, it was a back-and-forth affair as the two squads traded the first 10 points. Brown and Adams paced the run with a pair of kills each while sophomore Kaitlyn Brown registered a point as well. The two teams would be knotted at 10-10 as Emma Brown, Adams, and Stepanovich all found the floor successfully for RMU. Purdue Fort Wayne would break the set open, mounting a 9-1 spurt to give them their biggest lead of the frame, 19-11. The Colonials looked to trim the deficit by scoring four of the next seven points, two of the scores coming off the hand of Emma Brown. The Mastodons registered three of the final four points to secure the match, 25-16.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
A pair of Colonials led the team in kills as Emma Brown and Adams paced the squad with nine kills each. Brown posted a team-best .389 attacking percentage while only committing two errors on 18 attacks. Stepanovich tied for the team lead with 11 digs while registering eight successful swings and one assist. Ashleigh Wallin controlled the offense, carding 20 assists, four digs, and one ace while Allena Carmody recorded 11 digs and two assists on Saturday.

UP NEXT
The Colonials return to the UPMC Events Center when they host Youngstown State on Friday, Oct. 13, with the opening serve scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

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