HACKENSACK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson volleyball team dropped its home tilt with Robert Morris 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-21) at the Rothman Center on Friday night.
 
Sophomore Nataliya Rybakova and junior Erika Sullivan paced the attack for the Knights with nine kills apiece, while sophomore Erin Singer tallied four blocks in the loss.
 
Fairleigh Dickinson's setting tandem of first-year Corina Beimers and sophomore McKenna Setterlund totaled 13 and 12 assists, respectively.
 
Robert Morris sophomore middle Emma Granger led all players with 15 kills and senior libero Allie Yurkovich racked up 22 digs in the three-set win.
 
The Colonials (8-12, 2-4 NEC) registered a .270 attack percentage compared to the Knights' (2-18, 0-6 NEC) .142 rate.
 
With a service ace from freshman Kati Quaintance and a kill from Rybakova the Knights scored three of the first four points. The Colonials would answer with a 7-1 run and never trailed again in the opening set.
 
The Knights knotted the set at 15-15 after a kill by Rybakova but the Colonials retook the lead with back-to-back kills and pulled away for the win.
 
In the second set, the Knights started fast once again, tallying the first three points en route to a 4-1 edge. Leading 5-2, the Knights watched the Colonials turn the tables by scoring seven-straight points to establish a 10-5 advantage.
 
The Knights would fight back and used a 7-1 spurt to regain the lead. Sullivan recorded three kills over that run and helped her team to a 12-11 edge. The home team's advantage would grow to three points on three different occasions, including 21-18.
 
With the 21-18 lead, the Knights were unable to shut the door and the Colonials responded by scoring seven of the final eight points en route to a 25-22 win. Alyssa Hudak came through with three kills and Granger served up an ace over that span.
 
In the final frame, the Colonials started fast, scoring the first four points and established a 9-4 lead. The Knights fought back and eventually closed to within two, 16-14, after four straight points. Quaintance supplied a service ace over the course of the spurt.
 
A kill by Sullivan followed by an ace from Jessica Throckmorton sliced the deficit to one, 19-18, before Granger ended the momentum. The Colonials would notch the next three points and eventually close out the match with the four-point, final-set win.
 
The Knights are back in action tomorrow when they host Saint Francis U at the Rothman Center. First serve is set for 5:00 p.m. Prior to the match, the Knights will host their annual Alumni Day.