MOON TOWNSHIP, PA- The Robert Morris Colonials volleyball team (7-11, 1-3 NEC) took on conference rival St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers (5-13, 1-4 NEC) taking the match 3-1 and snapping a four-match losing skid. This was RMU’s first conference victory of the season.

Early on in the first set, neither team could gain an edge. Once SFBK took its first timeout however, RMU gained their ground and widened their lead to 8 points. Late in the set, SFBK went on a 5-1 run, but could not overcome the large deficit and RMU took the set 25-20. Taylor Lord led the way with 7 points and Whitney Brown had 13 assists. Emma Granger also had back-to-back aces.

RMU started off strong in the second set with a 12-5 run. However, SFBK stormed back with a 9-2 run of their own and were able to tie up the set at 14. This run was highlighted by the line judge getting hit in the face with the ball, and back to back play reviews both going SFBK’s way. The teams had another competitive run, as neither team got the upper hand easily. The Terriers took a timeout to try and regather, which worked because they ended up taking the lead for only the second time of the match. The comeback was short-lived, however, as RMU went on a 6-3 run to win the second set 25-22. Brown had another 13 assists and Lord had 4.5 points.

SFBK cruised during the third set, showing that they would not go down quietly as they had their biggest lead of the day at 13. This lead would ultimately be the largest of the night. RMU took their first timeout of the night hoping to regain some ground, but the Terriers would not go away. RMU showed some resilience, leading SFBK to take another timeout with the score at 24-14. A quick final point and SFBK utterly dominated the third set, taking it 25-14.

RMU had a similar start to the final set as SFBK did the third. Starting off 3-0, SFBK brought it back to 6-5 but were not able to muster up enough points to come back. RMU bent, but did not break, capping off a great last set with a Maria Alfano kill to win it 25-17.

Lord finished the match with a season-high 15 kills, and Brown put up another round of gaudy assist numbers with 43. Emma Granger yet again had back to back aces in the final set, bringing her total to 5 on the night.

The star on offense tonight was Taylor Lord. She had a season-high 15 kills and was at the forefront for most of the offense tonight. She said the team was excited about their first conference victory. “We all really want it so bad, so it’s disappointing when we don’t go out there and perform our best. This win is something to be proud of going forward.”

Head Coach Dale Starr was also happy about getting the first conference win out of the way. “This is something we’re not used to, being 0-3. We’re used to being 2-1 or 3-0. It was a new experience for all of us, and we focused on one thing tonight and that was tonight’s match.”

RMU improves to 7-11 and 1-3 in NEC play, while SFBK falls to 5-13 and 1-4 in NEC play. They snapped a 4-game losing streak. They will play again tomorrow night at home against LIU Brooklyn.