MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - The IUPUI volleyball team recorded more kills than its Robert Morris counterparts on Saturday (Oct. 2), but ultimately fell on the road in straight sets to the Colonials, 25-17, 25-23, 25-19. Freshman
Briana Brown led the IUPUI offense with 14 kills and hit .290 and
Emily Alan had nine kills as the Jaguars finished with a 36-35 advantage on kills. However, Robert Morris was the more efficient attack, hitting .255 for the match while holding IUPUI to just .172 with 20 attack errors.
Beyond Brown and Alan, offensive contributions were sparse as Alexis Clendenin and
Corrissa Remter had four kills each. Annie Monaco led Robert Morris with 14 kills and hit .435 for the contest.
IUPUI (2-14, 0-5 HL) got out quick in the first set, surging to a 6-1 lead behind Alan and Brown. Robert Morris countered to tie the score at 6-6 before play settled down. After it was tied 8-8, RMU ripped off five straight before a Brown kill. However, that margin proved to be insurmountable as IUPUI got no closer than three for the remainder of the set. The Jaguars hit .241 in the first set with Brown collecting six kills, but saw RMU hit .276.
The second was tight from the opening serve until the hosts gained some valuable breathing room, breaking a 17 all tie with four straight points. After a timeout, IUPUI got a crucial side out with a service error and then saw
Rhiannon Schuenemann dial up back-to-back points at the service line to pull within one. The Colonials responded with back-to-back points and made the lead stand on way to a 25-23 win.
Like the second set, the third was similarly tight in the beginning until the hosts gained some separation with a 16-11 lead. Schuenemann stopped the run with a kill off a
Brooke Phillips assist and then
Sidney Veatch put home a kill of her own. However, an Annie Monaco kill put momentum back on the side of the hosts and they carried that to a 25-19 victory.
Addie Evans collected a team-high 11 digs and Brown just missed a double-double with nine digs. Alan closed with four blocks and Phillips had 29 assists.
IUPUI will cap the two-game trip at Youngstown State on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
