Preview: Robert Morris women’s volleyball looks to perform in Charm City Challenge

Jack O'Brien, Contributor
September 7, 2018

Robert Morris women’s volleyball is scheduled to play three teams as part of the Charm City Challenge this upcoming weekend. The Colonials will be taking on the UMBC Retrievers, the Loyola (MD.) Greyhounds, and the James Madison University Dukes. The Colonials had a slow start to the season opening up their first six games at 0-6, but the skid was discontinued after a come from behind win against Kent State. With a record of 1-6, the team looks to add to their win streak this weekend.

The first game is against UMBC on Friday. The Retrievers sit at a 2-4 record coming off a 3-1 loss versus Tulsa in the Bruiser Showcase in Nashville, TN. Some standout players for UMBC are sophomore Carmen Freeman, true freshman Paige Krenik, and red-shirt senior Paola Rojas. These three produce most of UMBC’s offense and help out the defensive side of the game as well. If the Colonials need to keep an eye on any opposing players, they should keep these three names in mind on the court.

Next is the Loyola (MD.) Greyhounds, also on Friday, with a current overall record of 4-3. The Greyhounds are led by junior Ann Ernst and senior Molly Werts. Ernst is currently leading the team in kills while Werts is leading the team in assists. Both players have a tremendous impact on the court and will look to give Robert Morris a hard time this Friday.

The final game of the weekend will be played on Saturday against James Madison University. The Dukes have a current record of 5-2, which is the best overall record RMU will be facing this weekend as of now. Juniors M’Kaela White and Sarah Martin lead the Dukes into the weekend looking to improve their already winning record. White leads the team in kills with 80 while Martin leads the team in assists with 263. These are two players who can cause the Colonials some defensive issues.

Coming into the Charm City Challenge the Colonials have only one win so far and it came at home. To win their next three they’ll need to play some strong sets and jump on their opponent early in each match. In their last match, the Colonials escaped with their first win by coming back from a 2-0 hole to beat Kent State 3-2. With two games on Friday and another in the morning on Saturday, going into five sets would not be ideal for the Colonials. Rest is key in these types of situations and you have to play well in order to be rested. Sophomores Emma Granger, Alyson Londot and Whitney Brown look to lead the Colonial attack into the Charm City Challenge.