Yankauskas Leads RU Volleyball Past DePaul
Sep 24 | Women's Volleyball
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - The Rutgers University volleyball team (4-8, 1-1 BIG EAST) earned its first conference victory of the season in dramatic fashion, as the Scarlet Knights topped the DePaul Blue Demons (4-12, 0-2 BIG EAST) 3-2 (26-30, 30-24, 24-30, 30-19 and 20-18) on Sunday, Sept. 24, at the College Avenue Gymnasium.
DePaul held a 2-1 advantage entering the fourth game of the match, but the Scarlet Knights showed outstanding character as they battled from behind and evened the match score at 2-2, forcing a decisive game five.
With the score tied 15-15 in game five and needing to win by two points, both teams kept the raucous crowd on the edge of their seats as they juggled the lead back and forth, before the Scarlet Knights would eventually earn the 20-18 victory on an emphatic kill from freshman Brittani Rendina (Lisle, Ill.).
Senior Lora Yankauskas (Paramus, N.J.) led the way with a team-high 20 kills, while junior Amanda Meyer (Naperville, Ill.) and Rendina helped balance RU's offensive attack with 16 and 15 kills, respectively. The Scarlet Knights received solid contributions from their setters, as senior Jocelyn Greenwald (Old Tappan, N.J.) and sophomore Roxy Calder (Oceanside, Calif.) combined for 47 assists. Greenwald led with 26 and Calder added 21.
Freshman Jamie Godfrey (Rahway, N.J.) held down the defensive front, posting a match-high 24 digs, followed by Yankauskas and Rendina, who each notched a double-double with 16 and 11 digs, respectively. Rutgers also combined for 18 block assists with freshman Mallory McEnroe (Grand Rapids, Mich.) tallying a team-high six block assists, while Yankauskas, Meyer and freshmen Sophie Cook (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Stephanie Moore (Dallas, Texas.) added three apiece.
Morgan Ingersoll led the Blue Demons with 23 kills, followed by Ellen Hayes with 19. Emily McGinnis had a match-high 54 assists, while Hayes and Caitlin Callaghan each recorded 14 digs to lead DePaul.
"Obviously with a few key injuries our lineup has taken a dramatic change, but what we discovered with this win is that our team has heart," said head coach Orlando Gonzalez. "You're going to have your good and bad days, but to be competitive in this league you have to bring heart every time."
The Scarlet Knights will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 30, for a 2:00 pm. tilt against BIG EAST foe Pittsburgh at the College Avenue Gymnasium.
