MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Volleyball returns to Moon Township Friday as the Colonials host Elon and Eastern Michigan before RMU hits the Parkway for a downtown matchup against Duquesne on Saturday as part of the Chick-fil-A Pittsburgh Volleyball Classic.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 4
11:00 a.m. – RMU vs. Elon
6:00 p.m. – RMU vs. Eastern Michigan
Saturday, Sept. 5
3:00 p.m. – RMU at Duquesne
SCOUTING ELON
Friday morning's matchup against the Phoenix will mark just the third meeting between the two programs, with each team earning one win in the all-time series. Both previous contests have featured five-set battles, with the Colonials earning the most recent victory in 2019.
Elon enters the weekend with a 1-3 overall record. The Phoenix opened the 2026 season at the Quest for the Crown Tournament, hosted by Old Dominion, where they went 1-2. Elon dropped matches to St. John's and Norfolk State before earning a victory over Old Dominion. The Phoenix then fell in a five-set thriller against UNC Asheville on Tuesday night.
SCOUTING EASTERN MICHIGAN
Friday's second matchup will bring a familiar face back to Moon Township, as Azra Eric returns to the UPMC Events Center after transferring to Eastern Michigan this season.
The 6:00 p.m. matchup will mark the seventh meeting between the two programs, with Eastern Michigan holding a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series. The teams last met on Sept. 14, 2018, with the Colonials earning a five-set victory over the Eagles in Moon Township.
Eastern Michigan has opened the 2026 season with a perfect 3-0 record, earning wins over Northern Illinois, Southern Indiana and Murray State at the USI Invitational.
SCOUTING DUQUESNE
Saturday's matchup will feature two familiar teams meeting for the 37th time in program history, with Duquesne holding a 24-12 advantage in the all-time series and winning the last three meetings. The most recent matchup came last September, when the Colonials dropped a five-set heartbreaker after nearly completing a reverse sweep.
Duquesne enters the weekend with a perfect 3-0 record after earning wins over Canisius, Youngstown State and Mercyhurst at the YSU Invitational. The Dukes nearly went perfect on the weekend, dropping just one set to Youngstown State.
RMU RECENTLY
The Colonials return to Moon Township after competing in the Black & Gold Classic, hosted by UCF in Orlando, Florida. RMU went 0-3 at the tournament, falling to Stony Brook, 3-2, UCF, 3-1, and NC State, 3-0.
Junior defensive specialist/libero Anahi Alvarado was named to the Black & Gold Classic All-Tournament Team. The Tomball, Texas, native earned the honor after posting 50 digs across three matches in Orlando.
In the Colonials' five-set matchup against Stony Brook, Alvarado recorded a team-high 25 digs to anchor the back row. She followed with 11 digs against UCF and 14 against NC State, recording double-digit digs in each match. Alvarado averaged 4.17 digs per set over the weekend while also recording four service aces.
Also making an impact for the Colonials last weekend was the freshman duo of Kenlee Barnard and Lauren Decker.
Barnard, a 6-foot-1 setter from Evansville, Ind., recorded 98 assists over the weekend to lead the Colonials and help direct the offense. Her best performance came in RMU's five-set loss to Stony Brook, when she recorded 50 assists in her collegiate debut.
Decker, a 5-foot-10 outside hitter from Wadsworth, Ohio, led the Colonials offensively with 26 kills across 10 sets played over the three-match weekend. Against Stony Brook, the Ohio native recorded 18 kills in an impressive collegiate debut.
As a team, RMU posted a .103 attack percentage and averaged 9.67 kills per set over the weekend.
UP NEXT
The Colonials will continue non-conference road action next weekend with a trip to Towson, Maryland, to compete in the Tiger Invitational. The tournament field features Arkansas, Howard, RMU and host Towson.
RMU will open the tournament Friday against Howard at 10:00 a.m. before facing Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. The Colonials will close out the tournament against host Towson at 4:00 p.m.
