BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn volleyball team fell just short of a fourth-straight Northeast Conference championship title Sunday evening in the Steinberg Wellness Center, as the top-seeded Blackbirds were upset by No.2 seed Robert Morris, 3-1 (21-25, 31-29, 25-14, 25-23). The game was a battle from the start, with the visiting Colonials using late momentum to take the championship title from LIU.

Early in the first set, it seemed the Blackbirds were ready to defend their title, as LIU used a block, an ace from Adriana Viñas Joy, and a kill from junior Alex Larsen to take the 3-0 lead. Robert Morris would battle back to tie the set up, 5-5, but kills from Larsen and senior Mirjana Rajic put the Blackbirds back on top, 8-5. The teams stayed close from there. LIU's largest lead came on an RMU attack error that put the Blackbirds up, 18-14, forcing the Colonials to call a timeout. LIU was able to maintain their lead, however, and in the end, a kill from Larsen gave the Blackbirds the 25-21 set win, and an early 1-0 match advantage.

Set two was where the battle really began, as the two squads saw the score tied 17 times, and the lead change hands five times. LIU used a service ace from Viñas Joy to go up, 13-9, but RMU would fight back immediately to cut the lead to one. Later in the set, the Colonials used back-to-back kills to take a 19-18 lead. LIU's best shot to take the set came a short time later, when a kill from Tamara Ignjic, followed by a kill from Larsen gave the Blackbirds set point, 24-22. Robert Morris called a timeout, and came out of the break to rattle off three straight points, earning a set point of their own, 25-24. LIU would rally back to regain set point four more times, but each time, RMU was able to come back and tie it up. The Colonials capitalized on an LIU error to earn another set point, 30-29, and this time, a block at the net gave Robert Morris the victory, 31-29 in the second set, tying the match up, 1-1.

LIU opened the third set on a run, capitalizing on Colonial errors to take a 7-3 lead. But once again, RMU came back to tie it up, 7-7, and this time, the momentum swing stayed with the visitors. Up, 13-11, RMU went on an 8-0 run to distance themselves from the Blackbirds, taking a 21-11 lead. Though the Blackbirds would manage to land three kills, it was too little, too late, and Robert Morris took the third set, 25-14, and the 2-1 match lead.

The fourth set was once again a battle from the beginning. A kill from Larsen gave LIU the 4-2 edge, but Robert Morris would tie it up, 5-5. Kills from Larsen and Okeke would widen the gap back up to 11-8, and eventually, an ace from Larsen gave LIU a 17-12 advantage. LIU stayed up from there, using a kill from Larsen to take the 20-15 lead, and it looked like the Blackbirds would force a fifth set. But Robert Morris landed four straight kills and a service ace to tie the set up, 20-20. The two teams stayed locked from there, using a kill from Rajic to tie it up, 23-23. But Robert Morris was able to land a kill to reach championship point, 24-23, and on the next play, an LIU attack went just wide, giving Robert Morris the 25-23 set win, and a 3-1 match victory.

Junior Alex Larsen and senior Nicole Okeke were named to the All-Tournament team for their play throughout the weekend.

Larsen led LIU in the match, with a season-high 20 kills and 15 digs. Tamara Ignjic had 13 kills and 14 digs, while Okeke added 12 kills, hitting .706. Junior Nicole Hopton had 38 assists, while senior Adriana Viñas Joy added 28 digs and three service aces. 

Up next, the Blackbirds finish the regular season on the road, taking on No.2 Florida, Friday, November 29 at 2 p.m.