MOON TOWNSHIP– Robert Morris took on Horizon League rival Youngstown State. Robert Morris took home a thrilling victory by a score of three sets to two.
Both teams have struggled as of late as the Colonials are riding a six-game losing streak, and the YSU Penguins aren’t doing so hot either, dropping five of six games. The Colonials look to turn around their losing streak and get back into the win column against Youngstown State.
Set one started as a shootout as both teams kept the score close. As the set progressed, the Penguins went up by five points as the score was 10-15.
The Colonials kept fighting, scoring three straight points to bring the deficit down to two, before eventually tying the game at 19.
Youngstown State took the first set despite the Colonials’ comeback. The Penguins won set one 25-22.
The second set started pretty even as both teams traded points. Natalie Stepanovich came alive during the second set, which set the crowd on fire.
The Penguins had a series of miscues to start the second set, and the Colonials took advantage of that, a pattern that played out over the course of the night.
The Colonials owned the second set, all the way to a final score of 25-14, when Azra Eric put the set away with a vicious kill.
After spitting the first two sets, the Colonials looked to keep their momentum going in set three by continuing to take advantage of the Penguins’ miscues.
These two teams battled back and forth for the entirety of the third set, with neither team ever being able to pull away with a lead. Eventually Youngstown State squeaked ahead to win the set by three points, 25-22.
Set four was a must-win for the Colonials. Both teams battled the whole way, with neither team ever having a lead larger than three points.
YSU was the first team to cross the 20-point threshold in set four, but in the end, the Colonials willed their way to victory, 25-22.
Natalie Stepanovich came in clutch with the kill that gave the Colonials the lead, a kill that also gave her the game high in that category.
Set five was one for all the marbles, and RMU started off with a bang, scoring the first three points.
The crowd was a factor in this set, as they were all night, being loud and making their presence known.
The Penguins regained their footing and took the lead, but it was short-lived. The Colonials pulled away late and won the last set, 15-12.
With that, Robert Morris won the match three sets to two.
The UPMC Events Center was rocking this evening, sending shockwaves around the arena. Coach Doherty had to say this about the crowd’s energy.
“This is a magical sport when you have dynamic home field advantage and our student-athletes came out in droves and families came and supported, and it was an amazing thing.”
Two players that stood out were Natalie Stepanovich and Emma Brown. They both set season highs for kills. Brown had 14 kills, and Stepanovich had 24 kills.
“They were lights out,” Doherty said. “They are two kids who show up and want it on a daily basis, and they proved it today. Natalie had a little extra love on this one because she had a club teammate on the other side, so that gave her a little extra juice. Emma was all over the place. She had some very, very aggressive swings that I haven’t seen out of her in a while.”
The Colonials are back on Tuesday, Oct. 17th, at 6 p.m. The Colonials will be taking on Northern Kentucky.
