MATCHES 13-14_­

RMU (3-9, 0-1 #HLVB) at Cleveland State (7-5, 1-0 #HLVB)
Friday, September 22 • 6:00 p.m.
Woodling Gymnasium • Cleveland, Ohio
 
RMU (3-9, 0-1 #HLVB) at Oakland (7-6, 1-0 #HLVB)
Saturday, September 23 • 4:00 p.m.
OU Credit Union O'rena • Rochester, Mich.
 
Can You Dig It?
- The Colonials continue Horizon League action with their first two conference road matches of the season, traveling to Cleveland State on Friday, Sept. 22 before a quick turnaround at Oakland on Saturday, Sept. 23.

- The RMU volleyball team dropped its league opener on Tuesday evening, falling to the defending Horizon League champs Wright State, 3-1 at the UPMC Events Center.

- It was an entertaining second set as the Colonials used 16 kills and a late run to even the match, 1-1. RMU posted a 6-3 advantage to begin the set, thanks in part to a pair of kills from freshman Azra Eric and a point from classmate Natalie Stepanovich. Later in the set, the Colonials continued to apply pressure as they scored six of the next eight points to hold a 14-8 lead.

- Five different RMU players registered a successful swing, led by Esposito, Stepanovich, Eric, senior Emma Brown, and sophomore Macy McNamara. After a point by the Raiders, the Colonials carded a 7-3 run to secure the set. Stepanovich recorded a kill before Esposito and Eric capped off the set with back-to-back successful swings, 25-22.

- RMU was paced by a pair of freshmen, as Azra Eric registered her best performance of the season. She carded 11 kills and an impressive .769 attacking percentage with just one error. Eric tied for the team lead with four blocks and three digs.

- Natalie Stepanovich posted her fourth double-double of the season with 12 digs and 10 kills while recording two assists and a service ace. Rosina Esposito finished with eight kills and tied her season-high with four blocks while Hillarie Adams and Emma Brown both posted seven kills each.

- Ashleigh Wallin paced the offense with her first double-double of the season with 23 assists, 10 digs and two service aces. Katie Cook registered 10 assists and three digs while Allena Carmody recorded a team-high 20 digs on Tuesday.

- RMU returns back to Moon Township on Tuesday, Sept. 26, when it welcomes Northern Kentucky for a conference match at the UPMC Events Center, with the opening serve scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

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

The All-Time Series (Cleveland State) – The Colonials and Vikings will square off for the 11^th time in the series, with Cleveland State holding a 10-0 overall record against RMU. The Vikings swept the season series a year ago, collecting a 3-1 win in Moon Township and a 3-0 sweep in Cleveland, Ohio. In the first meeting, Abby Ryan matched a season high in kills (19) while establishing a career high in attempts (59).  Four Colonials finished in double figures in digs, led by Allena Carmody with 22, her third effort of the 2022 campaign eclipsing the 20-dig plateau. Ally Christman recorded each of her 11 digs in the first set while freshman Kaitlyn Brown notched a double-double thanks to 24 assists and 10 digs. RMU edged Cleveland State in service aces, 9-8, but the Vikings held a 26-8 edge in blocks. In the second meeting, Ryan produced a double-double of 13 kills and 10 digs. She also led the team in total attacks with 36. Kaitlyn Brown added another 21 assists to her resume and was second on the team in digs with eight. Senior libero Allena Carmody joined Ryan in having 10 digs on the night.

The All-Time Series (Oakland) – Come Saturday evening, it'll be the 10^th all-time meeting when RMU and Oakland take the floor at the OU Credit Union O'rena. The Golden Grizzlies have won nine consecutive meetings against the Colonials, securing a pair of wins last season over the Colonials. In the Horizon League opener, Hillarie Adams notched eight kills and a .412 attack percentage. Carmody paced the RMU defense, notching 14 digs while also recording three assists. During the second meeting in Rochester, Michigan, the Colonials had three different players posting 10 digs or more, as Carmody defended 20, Christman with 15 and Kaitlyn Brown had 10. Carmody led all players on the floor in digs and Christman posted the third most during the match.

Ace In The Veins – A pair of Colonials sit among the best in the Horizon League in service aces this season. Ashleigh Wallin currently ranks second in the conference while Natalie Stepanovich sits right behind her in third. Wallin has totaled 21 aces this season while tying for the conference best 0.49 aces per set. She tied her career-high with five at West Virginia last week and has posted two or more points in six matches this season. Stepanovich has carded 19 total aces this season while registering a season-high five in a victory over Radford. She has tallied an ace in five straight matches while recording two or more in five matches this season.

Keep On The Rise - Multiple Colonials continue to climb the statistical leaderboard. Freshman outside hitter Natalie Stepanovich ranks eighth in the league in total kills (135) and kills per set (3.07) while ranking third in service aces (19). Junior setter Ashleigh Wallin currently sits second in the Horizon League in service aces (21) and aces per set (0.49) while sitting ninth in assists per set (5.60) and total assists (241). Senior middle blocker Emma Brown paces RMU with a .245 attacking percentage and total blocks (25.0) while totaling 64 kills this season. Graduate student Allena Carmody is tabbed eight in the league in total digs (162) and digs per set (3.68).

Follow The Colonials: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Gameday App