MOON TOWNSHIP– Another busy weekend is in store for the Colonials as we start to make the transition from fall sports to winter.
Women’s cross country
Women’s cross country will be participating in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals Friday afternoon. The Colonials look to make their mark on a larger stage. The runner to watch for RMU is junior Martha Gardner. She finished with a time of 19:06.5 at the 5K course to place 19th individually in the NEC Championships in the team’s last outing on November 2.
Men’s basketball
Men’s basketball (0-3) will play in a pair of games this weekend at the 2019 MABC Invitational in Toledo, Ohio. The Colonials’ first game will be on Friday at 2:00 p.m. against Howard University (0-3), who is also looking to get their first win of the young season.
RMU’s player to watch is French forward Yannis Mendy. The senior has averaged 10.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, both good for second on the team. Mendy had a solid performance in the home opener against Pitt (2-1) and will be looking to continue that momentum. The player to watch for the Bison is guard Charles Williams. He leads the team with 15.7 points per game and has an impressive .467 shooting percentage from beyond the 3-point arc.
RMU will also be facing off against Toledo (1-1) at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The player to watch for the Colonials is guard Jalen Hawkins. He has been good on both sides of the court, with an average of 9.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game and at least one steal in each of the team’s games so far. The Toledo player to watch is guard Marreon Jackson. Another skilled two-way player, Jackson is tied for the lead in points per game with 19.5 and leads the Rockets with 7.5 assists per game and 3.5 steals per game. My prediction is a 70-62 win over Howard and a 78-69 loss to Toledo.
Volleyball (24-3, 12-0 NEC) will be finishing up their regular season with a pair of road matches. RMU’s first game will be at Fairleigh Dickinson (3-25, 2-12 NEC) on Friday at 6:00 p.m., and their player to watch is…well isn’t it obvious? I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how impressive of a season middle blocker Emma Granger is having. She leads the team with 4.83 points/set, 3.42 kills/set, .56 serve aces/set, and 1.51 blocks/set. The six-time NEC Player of the Week and three-time NEC Defensive Player of the Week is simply on another level. The player to watch for the Knights is outside hitter Magdalena Maksimovic. The Serbian leads Fairleigh Dickinson with 2.61 points/set and 2.32 kills/set.
RMU will also play against Long Island University (10-16, 9-5 NEC) on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. The player to watch for the Colonials is middle blocker Maria Alfano. She is second in points (3.43/set), kills (2.75/set), and blocks (1.19/set). The LIU player to watch is outside hitter Kora Schaberl. She leads the Sharks with 3.83 kills/set and is second in serve aces per set with .26. My prediction is an RMU sweep, with a 3-0 win over FDU and a 3-1 win over LIU.
Men’s hockey (5-4, 5-1 AHA) will have a two-game set at Bentley (3-6, 2-5 AHA) this weekend. Their first game is on Friday at 7:05 p.m. The RMU players to watch are forwards Nick Prkusic and Grant Hebert. Prkusic leads the Colonials with six assists and nine points, while Hebert leads with four goals on the year. Both have only played in six of the team’s nine games so far, but it is clear they are making up for lost time with their contributions on the scoresheet.
The players to watch for the Falcons are forwards Jakov Novak and Jonathan Desbiens. Novak, a sixth-round draft pick of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators in 2018, leads Bentley with six goals and ten points. Desbiens is the leader in assists, with six. My prediction is another sweep this weekend for RMU, with a 4-2 win in the first game and a 3-2 win in the second.
Football (6-4, 5-0 NEC) will have another big test in conference play when they face off on the road against Central Connecticut (9-1, 5-0 NEC) this Saturday at noon. A matchup of the last two teams undefeated in NEC play, the winner will be the conference champion.
The player to watch for the Colonials is defensive back, Mason Gray. It will be interesting to see how he attempts to top his performance last game. Gray returned two interceptions for a net yardage of 117 yards and two touchdowns against Duquesne. He will look to find that magic yet again this Saturday. The player to watch for CCSU is quarterback Aaron Winchester. He is the Blue Devils leader in both passing and rushing yards. Winchester has thrown for 2,102 yards and 15 touchdowns, while only throwing three interceptions. To top it off, he has also rushed for 637 yards and four touchdowns. My prediction is a close 31-24 loss for RMU.
The only team in action on Sunday, women’s basketball (2-1), will continue their season against Columbia (1-2) at the UPMC Events Center at noon. The RMU player to watch is center Nneka Ezeigbo. She leads the Colonials with 15 points per game. The player to watch for the Lions is guard Abbey Hsu. She leads Columbia with 16.7 points per game and four 3-pointers on the year. My prediction is a 70-64 win for RMU.
Stay tuned to RMU Sentry Media for updates throughout the year.
