MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -  The LIU Brooklyn volleyball team fell on the road to defending Northeast Conference champions Robert Morris Sunday afternoon, 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-19). The Blackbirds move to 6-12 overall with the loss, and to 3-2 in NEC play.

The game started out on a strong note for LIU, as kills by senior Alex Larsen and freshman Katharina Krepper gave the Blackbirds a 3-0 lead. Kills from Larsen, Alexandra Lilliquist, Viktoria Fink and Filippa Hansson helped extend that lead to 7-4 not long after. The Colonials were able to fight back within one point, 7-6, and stayed close from there. Back-to-back kills from Lilliquist helped widen the gap back up to 17-13, the widest lead of the set, and the Blackbirds would stay up until the 20-17 mark. RMU called a timeout at that point, and came out of the break to score seven straight points, earning set point, 24-20. LIU kept fighting, and a kill from Larsen closed the lead to 22-24, but the Colonials were able to get the final point needed, taking the first set, 25-22.

Set two was a battle from the beginning, as the two teams traded points, and were tied six times in the early going. It wasn't until the 6-6 mark that either squad would score two points in a row. RMU was the first to do so, going to a 5-0 run to take the lead, 11-6. The Colonials led for a short time, until down, 9-13, the Blackbirds had a run of their own. Two kills from Larsen and a service ace by freshman Natalia Rivera highlighted the 5-0 scoring spree that gave LIU the lead once more, 14-3. RMU took the lead back with quick kills, but LIU stayed in the hunt, until the Colonials' lead at 21-19. RMU, at that point, scored four straight points to take set two, 25-19, and the match advantage, 2-0.

RMU rode that momentum into the third set, going up 4-0 early on. The Blackbirds got on board shortly thereafter, and a kill from Larsen cut the gap to 5-3. But a 4-0 run by the home team would widen the lead back up, 10-3. LIU continued to battle back, including a 4-0 run of its own, which would help shrink the distance, 17-14. Another four point spree by the Colonials would make it 22-15, however. Fink and Lilliquist were each able to land two more kills apiece to keep the Blackbirds in the fight, but back-to-back kills for RMU ended the set in favor of the home team, 25-19, giving Robert Morris the 3-0 match win.

Senior Alex Larsen led LIU with 11 kills, two blocks and a service ace, while sophomore Viktoria Fink had 12 digs and seven kills. Freshman Natalia Rivera had a game-high 20 digs, while classmate Amanda Hubbard had a double-double, with 29 assists and 10 digs.

Up next, the Blackbirds return home to Brooklyn to host Bryant and Central Connecticut State in the Steinberg Wellness Center, Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16.