ORLANDO – On the final day of the Black and Gold Classic, the RMU volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision to ACC opponent NC State Saturday afternoon.
SET 1: NC STATE 25, ROBERT MORRIS 17
NC State established an early advantage in the opening frame, taking a 7-1 lead before the Colonials settled in. RMU continued to battle, using kills from Tia Schultz, Lauren Decker and Natalie Frost to remain within striking distance.
A late 3-0 run by the Colonials cut the Wolfpack's lead to just five, as NC State held a 20-15 advantage. The Wolfpack maintained control down the stretch, closing out the opening frame, 25-17.
The Colonials finished the frame with six kills and 10 attack errors.
SET 2: NC STATE 25, ROBERT MORRIS 20
RMU came out with a stronger offensive attack in the second set, recording 10 kills while cutting its attack errors to six.
The Colonials stayed within reach throughout the frame, trailing 10-5 before a 3-0 run helped narrow the gap to just two points.
RMU made another late push after falling behind 19-14, scoring three of the next five points to cut the deficit to 21-17. NC State, however, answered with the next two points and eventually secured the set, 25-20.
SET 3: NC STATE 25, ROBERT MORRIS 12
The Wolfpack jumped ahead early in the third set and used a strong offensive showing to pull away.
RMU battled back to make it 7-4 before NC State answered with a run to extend its advantage. The Wolfpack maintained its momentum throughout the remainder of the frame, closing out the match with a 25-12 third-set victory to complete the sweep.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Schultz finished with a team-best seven kills on 12 attacks while hitting .417 for the match. Frost and Decker each contributed four kills, while Addyson Butts added three.
Kenlee Barnard directed the RMU offense with 20 assists, while Anahi Alvarado anchored the back row with 14 digs. Schultz added six digs, and Barnard finished with five.
WEEKEND IN REVIEW
The Colonials finished the Black and Gold Classic with an 0-3 record against a strong field.
Offensively, freshman Lauren Decker led the Colonials with 26 kills across 10 sets played over the three-match weekend. Schultz added 21 kills, while Butts recorded 20 to also eclipse the 20-kill mark.
As a team, RMU posted a .103 attack percentage and averaged 9.67 kills per set over the weekend. Barnard nearly reached the 100-assist mark, recording a team-best 98 assists to help direct the Colonial offense.
Defensively, Alvarado controlled the back row with 50 digs, averaging 4.17 digs per set. As a team, the Colonials averaged 15.25 digs per set throughout the tournament.
UP NEXT
The Colonials return home to Moon Township next weekend as RMU, in conjunction with Duquesne, hosts the Chick-fil-A Pittsburgh Volleyball Classic.
RMU opens the tournament Friday at home against Elon and Eastern Michigan before making the short trip down I-376 to face Duquesne Saturday in Pittsburgh.
Friday's matches are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., while first serve Saturday is set for 3:00 p.m.
