The Robert Morris women’s volleyball team (6-8) will kick off conference play against Central Connecticut (3-8) this Friday at 7:00 p.m at Central Connecticut.

As of late the Colonials have won six of their last eight matches and have improved from their early season struggles. The Colonials haven’t lost back to back matches since they opened the season losing their first six matches. Coming off a loss to Purdue Fort Wayne, the Colonials are looking for a sharp start to their conference campaign.

The Central Connecticut Blue Devils currently sit at 3-8 overall. Though their record doesn’t seem too intimidating, it doesn’t mean they can’t steal a match from the Colonials. Impact players include junior Madelyn Kaprelyan, who leads the team with 112 kills, and senior Raquel Quirarte, who averages 2.37 kills per set. Accounting for a vast majority of the Blue Devil attack, Quirarte also helps on the defensive end with a team-leading 8 solo blocks. These two won’t make it easy for the Colonials to walk out with a win.

After losing to Purdue Fort Wayne, Robert Morris needs a jump to get back into a winning culture. The Colonials were enjoying a three-match win streak before losing last Saturday. Now the task at hand is as inspirational speaker Matt Foley would say, “to get back on the right track”, but that may be easier said than done. Granted, the Colonials on paper are the better team in this matchup with players like sophomores Emma Granger, Alyson Londot, and Whitney Brown, but the advantage isn’t as great as you’d think.

The Colonials only average .45 more kills per set and allow 13 kills per set to their opponent. The key to overcoming a stifling defense is to counteract with an offense. Jumping out to an early lead could prove to be crucial for the Colonials on Saturday. Look for it to be a close match that may take four or five games to conclude.