Cleveland, Ohio – After dropping the opening frame, the RMU volleyball team rattled off three straight sets to secure its first conference victory of the season, with a 3-1 decision at Cleveland State on Friday at Woodling Gymnasium.

With the win, the Colonials snap its four-game skid as they improve to 4-9 overall, with a 1-1 mark in Horizon League play. Meanwhile, the Vikings fall to 7-6 this season, with a 1-1 record in conference action.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
In the opening frame, Cleveland State used 15 kills and took advantage of a struggling RMU attack to secure a 25-15 win in set one. It was a different story in frame two, as the Colonials boosted 15 kills and a rally to even the match. RMU jumped out to a 4-2 advantage after sophomore Hillarie Adams and graduate student Rosina Esposito registered successful swings. The Vikings would respond by mounting a 10-2 surge to give them a 12-6 lead.

The Colonials didn't shy away as they countered with nine consecutive points to regain the lead, 15-12. Junior Abby Powers paced the run with a pair of kills while sophomore Kaitlyn Brown and freshman Natalie Stepanovich carded points as graduate student Allena Carmody collected a service ace. The two squads would trade the next six points before Cleveland State tied the score at 18-all with three straight scores. Late in the set, the Vikings trimmed the deficit 22-21, before RMU netted three of the last four points to secure the set victory, 25-22.

THIRD SET STREAKS
In the third stanza, it took 13 ties and seven lead changes before the Colonials took a set advantage. The Vikings came out hot, bolstering to a 5-0 early lead before the Colonials battled back, netting a 7-0 surge to give them their first advantage in the frame. Stepanovich started the run with a kill followed by a successful swing by Esposito. Stepanovich then registered a service ace before Adams rattled off a pair of points to cap the surge. Later in the set, the two teams traded the next 12 points to knot it at 19-19. RMU would go on a streak of scoring six of the final seven points to take a 2-1 match advantage. Powers sparked the run with back-to-back kills before securing another successful swing to give the Colonials a 23-20 lead. After a bad set by the Vikings, Carmody capped the run with a service ace, 25-20 Colonials.

VICTORY IN THE HORIZON
It was a back-and-forth affair in the final frame as there was 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 one two points later. Junior Ashleigh Wallin registered a service ace before Stepanovich and Esposito each found the floor successfully. After a point by the Vikings, RMU would counter by scoring four of the next five points to hold its largest lead of the set. Esposito led the charge with a pair of kills while Adams tallied a point. 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.

THE TRIFECTA
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.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
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.

UP NEXT
RMU continues its road trip with a quick turnaround, traveling to Oakland on Saturday, Sept. 23, to battle the Golden Grizzlies in Horizon League play, with the opening serve scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

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