Morgantown, W.Va. – The RMU volleyball team concluded play at the Mountaineer Invitational and non-conference action on Friday, dropping a 3-1 decision to the host West Virginia at the WVU Coliseum.

With the loss, the Colonials fall to 3-8 overall while the Mountaineers improve to 6-6 this season.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
It was an entertaining first set, as the two squads traded shots for the majority of the opening stanza. The two teams traded the opening eight points before West Virginia mounted a 5-1 run to gain a 9-5 advantage. RMU responded with three consecutive points, two of them coming from kills by senior Emma Brown and freshman Natalie Stepanovich. The Mountaineers held a 13-9 lead later in the set before the Colonials rattled off four straight points to knot the score at 13-13. Stepanovich carded two successful swings while junior Ashleigh Wallin carded a service ace. The two squads continued to swap points as West Virginia held on to a 20-18 advantage. RMU continued to battle and rallied with a 5-1 surge, thanks in part to a pair of kills from Stepanovich and another ace from Wallin, 23-21. Neither team could grab an advantage as they traded point for point till the Mountaineers claimed set one, 34-32. Stepanovich used nine kills and an impressive .471 attacking percentage to pace RMU in the set.

WE BOUNCE BACK
In set two, the Colonials used 17 kills and a late run to secure a set victory. The two teams picked up where they left off, trading the opening 10 points of the second stanza before exchanging the next eight points to be knotted 9-9. Freshman Katie Cook, Emma Brown, and Stepanovich all registered points during the surge. Tied at 13-13, sophomore Hillarie Adams boosted a 4-2 run with three successful swings to give RMU a 17-15 advantage. The Colonials continued to keep the momentum as they scored five of the next nine points to gain a 22-19 lead. The trio of Brown, Cook, and Stepanovich all registered points to lead the Colonials. After a point by the Mountaineers, Adams registered a pair of kills to help RMU secure a 25-21 win. Adams and Stepanovich combined for 12 of the 17 kills in the set victory.

CONTINUED TO BATTLE
The Mountaineers would rally by using a .385 attacking percentage and 12 kills to take a 2-1 set lead heading to the fourth. West Virginia would jump out to an early 5-2 lead before RMU trimmed the deficit with its own 4-2 run. Stepanovich carded a pair of kills while freshman Azra Eric netted a point to lead the Colonials. The home squad would rally, using a 9-4 surge to gain a 16-10 lead midway through the set. The Colonials continued to fight but the Mountaineers rattled off nine of the next 12 points to secure the match.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
RMU was led by a pair of underclassmen as Natalie Stepanovich registered a season-best double-double, with 20 kills and 24 digs. The freshman outside hitter netted nine kills in the opening set and a .471 hitting percentage. Hillarie Adams recorded a career-high 15 kills against the Mountaineers while totaling seven successful swings alone in set two. Emma Brown tallied seven kills and a block while Abby Powers totaled four kills and two assists on Friday. Ashleigh Wallin registered 22 assists to pace RMU while collecting seven digs and tying her career-high with five service aces. Katie Cook posted a personal best 17 assists, three kills and two assists while Allena Carmody totaled 12 digs. Macy McNamara registered double-digit digs with 10 while Jaidan Hockman recorded eight digs and one assist in the loss.

UP NEXT
RMU begins Horizon League play when it hosts Wright State on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at the UPMC Events Center, with the opening serve scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

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