Dominique Murray
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind after the first set that it was going to be a Colonial volleyball victory as Robert Morris destroyed the Saint Francis (PA) Red Flashes 3 sets to 0.

The crowd was in it early as technical difficulties had to stands belting the national anthem instead and from there it was high energy on and around the court.

Led by Kristin Thompson with 10 kills and a 55.6 kill percentage, along with another 10 kills from Leah Dunivan, it was the Colonials most dominant win of the season.

The Colonials took the momentum quickly in the first set, jumping to a 5-1 lead and never looking back. Even with a short rally at the end for Saint Francis, RMU had complete control in a 25-15 set victory.

“That’s been our gameplan,” said coach Dale Starr. “Getting into our rhythm and our game as quickly as possible and I am glad we were able to do that today.”

With that rhythm that coach Starr was looking for from his team came momentum. Momentum which Robert Morris kept for almost the entire match.

Though, it was a slow start in the second set which showed some of the inconsistencies that the team has been working on. SFU and RMU traded points until it was 11-10 RMU, and it looked as though the Red Flash had found new life and were ready to rally past the Colonials.

But much like in the first set, Robert Morris found their rhythm and ran away, winning 14 of the last 18 points and going into the intermission winning the second set, 25-14.

And while the volleyball alumni were being honored at intermission, it felt as though the match was already over. The energy from the Red Flash seemed non-existent. Saint Francis head coach Jason Kozak had a calm demeanor as though this was a normal situation for the now 4-19 SFU squad.

The energy from Arden Fisher and the Colonials was evident as they played their hardest until the final point. While it was the closest set of the match, it was still a blowout, 25-18. Saint Francis was unable to break 20 points in any of the three sets, just adding to the teams woes.

With the Red Flash’s struggles, this match still says a lot about how far the Colonials volleyball team has come this season.

“I thought we were very efficient today,” said coach Starr. “Our energy has been great…and the girls have really responded.”

Robert Morris has really witnessed their volleyball team grow together as the season has come along. The lone senior Thompson has said the long road trips have really helped the growing chemistry in the locker room.

“Traveling together has really helped us grow,” said Thompson. “We are on the bus together at least 10-12 hours at a time, so just spending so much time together and bonding has really helped.”

And it has been evident on the court as the Colonials only totaled 7 errors in the entire match, and for the first time all season did not have a single ball blocked.

Now as RMU heads into the second half of the conference season, Robert Morris will most likely have to win out to claim the conference title, which includes beating Bryant and Sacred Heart, whom the Colonials have suffered their only two conference losses of the season against.