In their matchup against the Blackbirds of LIU Brooklyn (12-9, NEC 5-3), the Robert Morris Colonials (10-13, NEC 4-4) were finally able to end their losing streak with a victory.

Two weeks ago, RMU made the long drive up to Brooklyn and did not have the same outcome as they did tonight. They walked away with a loss in five sets, and tonight they traded that for a win in four.

Robert Morris started off slow in the first set, having to come back from being down by a substantial amount. RMU eventually came back to tie LIU 21-21. They ended up triumphing over to win the set 25-23.

The second set, however, did not tell the same story. RMU did not carry the same momentum they once had and ended up not being able to carry them through to another win in the second set. The Colonials seemed to let their win mislead them into thinking that it was going to be easier now that they’d gotten over the first set hump. Grievously, this was not the case. Robert Morris was defeated in the second set with a score of 25-23 in favor of LIU Brooklyn.

The third set got off to a rocky start for both the Colonials and the Blackbirds, neither one being able to keep a steady lead, even until the very end. Both teams traded points back and forth, each fighting to prove who was more superior than the other. Robert Morris, however, came out on top to prove who the true victor was with a winning set score of 25-23.

The fourth set just continued to prove that the Colonials were the true victors. Robert Morris and LIU Brooklyn started off the fourth set as they had every other: by trading points. Some by kills, some by mistakes and some by pure hustle. However, RMU was able to come out above with a winning set score of 25-20, beating the Black Hawks in a 3-1 match win.

Leaders tonight were freshman Emma Granger with 17 kills, freshman Maria Alfano with five blocks, junior Allie Yurkovich with 26 digs and senior Brianna Frakes with 46 assists.

“It feels good, we got our bearings down a little bit, learned from our mistakes from last time, so that was a really big win, especially winning in four when we lost in five last time,” senior setter Brianna Frakes said.

“We really haven’t been successful since losing to LIU, so it’s good to come out and have a clean win,” junior Taylor Lord said.

Both Lord and Frakes have been key components to the success of this young Colonials team, both leading by example of their poise and experience.

“To us, it sucks when you start slow, but it’s also good that you finish strong, which I think is the most important part,” Lord said.

“I think that we do a really good job of keeping the energy (once we have it), and kind of going strong. We also have ups and downs, but we’re working through it. I think we’re doing a much better job of getting the energy and sticking with it, Frakes said.

The Colonials’ next game is Saturday, Oct. 21 at 5 p.m. at the North Athletic Complex against the Bulldogs of Saint Francis Brooklyn.