PRINCESS ANNE, MD – The Rider University volleyball team closed out action at the 2019 Henson's Hawk Invitational on Saturday with a pair of neutral-site matches. The Broncs fell to Robert Morris, 3-1, in the first match of the day before rallying to defeat Hampton, 3-1, in the nightcap.
 
In the first match of the day, Robert Morris broke open a 1-1 tie by taking the third and fourth sets. Offensively, Morgan Romano (Oviedo, FL/Hagerty) paced the offensive attack for the Broncs, while Ali Ward (West Chester, PA/West Chester East) added 12 kills of her own.
 
Versus the Colonials, Romano and Anilee Sher (Poughkeepsie, NY/Spackenkill) each had double-doubles for Rider. Romano had a career-high 21 digs, while Sher delivered a 34-assist, 13-dig performance.
 
In the finale, Hampton took a 1-0 lead thanks to winning the first set, 30-28. The Broncs rallied by winning each of the next three matches to score their third win of the fall. Offensively, Ali Ward had a breakout performance as she registered a career-high 15 kills. She was not alone as Jillian Chan (Watchung, NJ/Watchung Hills Regional) also had a career-best 10 kills.
 
Morgan Romano was also solid in the victory over Hampton as she had 19 kills to go along with five aces and five digs.
 
NOTES & QUOTES
"We had some very good moments versus a strong Robert Morris team, and definitely saw a lot of growth. We will learn how to win those matches as we move forward, and make sure player by player, we are just a little more accountable and consistent." – Rider Head Coach Jeff Rotondo
 
"The match against Hampton started out with them having a lot of energy, and then our service game really dialed in and got them in a ton of trouble. We got some solid performances from Rachelle and Pam defensively, as well as Ali, Jill, and Morgan Romano. Evie and Morgan Koch did a great job slowing down their attack. Nini made her hitters look good, which is what we want from a good setter. It was a great team win." – Rotondo
 
- In the opener, the Broncs had 45 kills, 84 digs, eight blocks and five service aces.
- Rider had
- On Tuesday, Morgan Romano and Rachelle Runyon both earned weekly accolades from the conference. Romano was honored as the MAAC Rookie of the Week and Runyon was tabbed as the MAAC Libero of the Week.
- The meeting with Robert Morris was the first in the series history since 2001. The Colonials have won back-to-back matches versus Rider.
- The match against the Pirates was the first-ever for the Broncs.
 
BRONCS BY THE NUMBERS
- Entering the day, Ali Ward's career-high in kills was nine. On the day, she had 27 kills.
- Pamela Loh had a career-high 10 digs in the opener against RMU and she followed that up with eight digs against Hampton.
- Danielle Blanco had a season-best 13 digs in the opener. It was her fourth match of the year with 10 or more digs.
- Rachelle Runyon had 18 digs against Robert Morris and she followed that up with 24 digs versus Hampton. She has 1,239 digs in her career and she is 20 digs from moving into eighth-place in program history in career digs.
 
UP NEXT
Rider opens up Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play on Saturday, September 21, with a home match against Iona that is slated to begin at 1:00 pm inside Alumni Gymnasium.