2021 Season Preview: Volleyball

RMU+Volleyball+huddles+before+their+match+against+Northern+Kentucky.

Tyler Gallo

RMU Volleyball huddles before their match against Northern Kentucky.

Samuel Goldberg

The Robert Morris volleyball team is back and looking to make an impact this season in the Horizon League after a rough 4-12 record in their first year.

Players to Watch

Emma Granger

The Colonials are bringing back some familiar names like Emma Granger, who will be back for her 5th year of play. She led the Colonials in service aces in the spring 2021 season with 186 and has compiled 1039 kills and 389 blocks with a .330 attack percentage. Granger will be a leader for what is a younger Colonial team this year, and coming off of an injury-riddled season, she will look to rebound.

Alyson Londot

Another player who shined last season was Alyson Londot and she too returns for her extra year of eligibility. Finishing third on the team in kills last season, Londot stepped up in the absence of Granger and will look for a repeat performance this season with Granger back in the fold.

Important Games

With the COVID restrictions being a little less strict this year, the Colonials are taking full advantage and have a full slate of non-conference matchups that include a couple of tournaments to start the season. They had a lack of non-conference games last year, so a full slate of them should allow them to avoid the rust they had last season.

An important precursor for the rest of their season will be when they travel to the Garden State for the FDU Tournament where they will play three matches against Maryland Eastern Shore, Manhattan, and former conference foe and host Fairleigh Dickinson, all taking place this weekend.

Then RMU will open the UPMC Events Center for fans to come back in as RMU is hosting the RMU Chick-Fil-A Robinson Labor Day Volleyball Classic. A slew of teams will come and compete in the Tournament from September 3-4. If RMU can win on their home court, it could mean a lot for them to build momentum heading into the Horizon League slate.

Then the Colonials will start Horizon League action as they open up at home against Cleveland State on September 24.

A matchup to keep your eye on is the home game against the defending champions in Wright State. The Colonials will look to fend home court as the champions come into town for what should be an excellent match on October 19.

Record Prediction

This Colonials roster has nine players that are underclassmen this year. With the mixture of youth and veterans on this team, the Colonials will storm out of the gates and finish 16-12 with a Horizon League record of 10-8.