MATCHES 6-7-8

RMU (2-3) at George Mason (2-4)
Friday, September 8 • 7:00 p.m.
Recreation Athletic Complex • Fairfax, Va.
 
RMU (2-3) vs. Radford (1-5)
Saturday, September 9 • 11:00 a.m.
Recreation Athletic Complex • Fairfax, Va.
 
RMU (2-3) vs. Brown (4-0)
Saturday, September 9 • 6:00 p.m.
Recreation Athletic Complex • Fairfax, Va.
 
Can You Dig It?

• The RMU volleyball team continues tournament action this weekend by traveling to Fairfax, Va., to take part in the Mason Invite. The Colonials will square off against the host George Mason (9/8) before closing the tournament with two neutral site matches against Radford (9/9) and Brown (9/9).
• RMU split a pair of matches in its first home action of 2023 at the Chick-fil-A Robinson Labor Day Classic last week. The Colonials secured a 3-1 victory over Canisius before falling to Duquesne during the nightcap, 3-1.
• The Colonials featured three players with double digit kills, led by Rosina Esposito. In her first contest at home, Esposito finished with a staggering .455 attacking percentage, along with 18 kills and just three errors. She hit a stunning .714 in set two to go along with five kills.
• Abby Ryan fell just short of another double-double, securing 15 kills and nine digs during the win. Natalie Stepanovich registered her second kill/dig double-double of the season, totaling a team-high 16 digs and 11 kills. She also collected three service aces and three assists on Saturday.
• The duo of Ashleigh Wallin and Kaitlyn Brown led the Colonials in assists, as Wallin posted 29 assists and seven digs while Brown posted her second double-double of the season, with 19 assists and 14 digs. Allena Carmody posted 13 digs, five assists, and two service aces.
• Against the Dukes, it was a career night for Abby Ryan as she posted a personal best 24 kills along with 10 digs for her second double-double of the season. She hit at a .309 clip which is a season best.
• Emma Brown tied her career-high with 13 kills while recording two digs and a block while Natalie Stepanovich totaled 10 digs and nine kills against the Dukes. Ashleigh Wallin tallied 26 assists, eight digs, and an ace while Kaitlyn Brown finished with 19 assists and eight digs for the Colonials.
• The Colonials continue its non-conference schedule when it travels to Morgantown, W.Va. for the Mountaineer Invitational. RMU squares off against North Dakota State (9/14) and Old Dominion (9/15) before ending the tournament against the host Mountaineers (9/15).

MASON INVITE LINKS
Live Stats @ George Mason (9/8/23)
Video @ George Mason (9/8/23)
Live Stats vs Radford (9/9/23)
Live Stats vs Brown (9/9/23)

The All-Time Series (George Mason) – Friday night's opener at the Mason invite marks the first meeting between the Patriots and Colonials in program history. George Mason is just one of two teams on the schedule that the Colonials are facing for the first time in 2023.

The All-Time Series (Radford) – Come Saturday morning, it'll be just the fourth meeting between the Colonials and Highlanders as RMU holds a 2-1 advantage in the series. The last meeting took place in 2015 as part of the Blue/Gold Invitational in Toledo, Ohio where Radford captured a 3-0 win over RMU. Arden Fisher (2013-16) racked up her second double-double in three matches with 11 kills and a team-leading 22 digs. Taylor Lord (2015-18) earned her first career double-figure kill performance with 10 and was named to the Blue/Gold Invitational All-Tournament Team while Kristin Thompson (2012-15) posted 13 kills at a .355 clip.

The All-Time Series (Brown) – It'll be just the second all-time meeting when the Colonials and Bears take the floor on Saturday night. In 2015, as part of the Borderland Invitational in Las Cruces, N.M., Brown captured a 3-0 win over the Colonials. Arden Fisher (2013-16) and Kristin Thompson (2012-15) led the Colonials' attack with five kills apiece. Additionally, Fisher turned in 14 digs and one block assist, while Thompson tallied three block assists of her own. Taylor Lord (2015-18) racked up a team-best 18 digs and Liz Campbell (2015-18) led the offense with 18 assists.

Lights, Camera, Action – The duo of Abby Ryan and Emma Brown earned themselves a spot on the All-Tournament Team at the Chick-fil-A Robinson Labor Day Classic last weekend. Ryan produced a productive tournament, totaling 39 kills, 19 digs, two assists, and a service ace. In a win over Canisius, she registered 15 kills, which was second best on the team, and nine digs. The senior outside hitter ended the tournament with a career evening, posting a personal best 24 kills along with 10 digs for her second double-double of the season. She hit at a .309 clip which is a season best. Ryan currently sits second in the Horizon League in kills per set (3.85) and sixth overall in total kills (77).

Brown enjoyed a successful tournament combining for 19 kills while hitting at a .487 clip and collecting four blocks and two digs. Against the Golden Griffins, she tallied six kills on 10 attempts while totaling three blocks during the win. It's the 28th time in her career where she's collected three or more blocks in a match. Against the Dukes, Brown tied her career-high with 13 kills while recording a .375 hitting percentage, two digs and a block. The senior middle blocker sits 12th in the league in hitting percentage (.273) while pacing the team with 11.0 blocks in the first five matches of the season.

By The Numbers – The Colonials sit atop the Horizon League in multiple statistical categories. They currently lead the conference in kills per set (13.40) while ranking second in points per set (16.05). RMU ranks third in assists per set (11.85) and also service aces per set (1.75) while ranking fourth in total aces (35). Ashleigh Wallin and Natalie Stepanovich sit tied for fifth in the conference with nine service aces each while Wallin is averaging 5.60 assists per set. Graduate student Allena Carmody continues to anchor the Colonials defense, pacing the squad and ranking sixth in total digs (80) and digs per set (4.00).

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