New Brunswick, N.J. (November 6, 2009) – The Rutgers volleyball team will compete in its final home matches this weekend by hosting Connecticut on Saturday and St. John’s on Sunday at College Ave Gym. First serve is set for 2 p.m. for both matches.
The Scarlet Knights (9-16, 2-8 BIG EAST) went 1-1 on the road this past weekend. RU defeated DePaul Saturday by a 3-1 score. On Sunday, Rutgers fell to Notre Dame by a 3-0 mark. The DePaul win snapped a six-match skid in conference play for RU.
Saturday’s match against UConn will serve as Rutgers “Dig Pink” match. “Dig Pink” is a Breast Cancer Awareness Rally started by the Side-Out Foundation to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.
The Rutgers marketing department will be on hand to give out special “Dig Pink” t-shirts to the first 50 fans in attendance, and all fans will receive pink awareness bracelets. Additionally, there will be a “Dig Pink” raffle with prizes given throughout the day.
The match will be shown live through Knightvision Broadband at www.scarletknights.com. Adam Helfgott and Chris Yip will have the call. Live stats will also be available through www.scarletknights.com.
“We are excited to be associated with the “Dig Pink” Rally and breast cancer awareness,” said Rutgers head coach CJ Werneke. “It is a great opportunity to spread the word and get some donations for a good cause.”
The St. John’s match will serve as Rutgers Senior Day, as it will be the last home match for six Scarlet Knights. Seniors Sophie Cook (Colorado Spring, Colo.), Jamie Godfrey (Rahway, N.J.), Stephanie Moore (Dallas, Texas), Kyra Thompson (Tuscon, Ariz.), Victoria Thomas (Dallas, Texas) and junior Katie Barends (Glen Gardner, N.J). Barends is graduating in the spring and will not use her final year of eligibility.
“Senior day is going to be a day filled with emotions as we have six players in their last home match,” said Werneke. “We hope to play well and send them out on a high note.”
Junior outside hitter Caitlin Saxton (Encinitas, Calif.) earned two accolades this week as she was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic District 2 team and the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
Last weekend, Saxton scored a match high in kills in both BIG EAST contests this weekend. In RU’s 3-1 win over DePaul, Saxton swatted 13 kills on a .278 attack percentage. The RU co-captain tallied 15 kills against BIG EAST leader Notre Dame on Sunday.
Saxton’s 972 attempts this season ranks 10th on the school’s single-season record list.
Senior libero Jamie Godfrey (Rahway, N.J.) scooped 28 digs this weekend to move into eighth place on the school’s all-time career digs list with 873. Godfrey passed former Scarlet Knight Paula Bentley (1988-92) who racked up 861 digs during her career. Godfrey’s 358 digs this season ranks sixth on Rutgers’ all-time single-season list.
Junior outside hitter Katie Groff (York, Pa.) saw her most significant action of this season this past weekend as she notched 19 kills in seven sets.
The Huskies (12-14, 5-5 BIG EAST) are under the direction of sixth-year head coach Holly Strauss-O'Brien. Last Sunday, UConn fell at home to Pittsburgh by a 3-0 score. Junior outside hitter Rebecca Murray leads the Huskies in kills with 245.
Connecticut leads the all-time series with Rutgers by a 17-8 mark. Last season, The Scarlet Knights fell on the road to the Huskies by a 3-0 score.
The Red Storm (9-17, 2-8 BIG EAST) defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers, 3-1, last Sunday to snap an eight-match losing streak. Joanne Persico is in her 15th season as St. John’s head coach.
STJ junior Kun Song now ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in conference matches in service aces with 16. The junior also leads the Red Storm with 11 double-doubles this season.
The Red Storm leads the all-time series, 9-6, against the Scarlet Knights. Last season, STJ defeated RU by a 3-0 mark
