NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - Sophomore Kyra Thompson (Tucson, Ariz.) tallied a match-high 16 kills, but the Rutgers University volleyball team was unable to overcome a balanced Connecticut attack, as the Huskies topped the Scarlet Knights 3-0 (30-25, 30-27, 30-17) in BIG EAST volleyball action at the College Avenue Gym Saturday afternoon.

In addition to her 16 kills, Thompson also added a team-high 12 digs for her sixth double-double of the season. Sophomore Stephanie Moore (Dallas, Texas) posted nine kills, while freshman Emma Chrystal (Portage, Mich.) led the Scarlet Knights in assists with 23. A young Rutgers squad, which had no juniors or seniors in the starting line-up, played without lone senior Amanda Meyer (Naperville, Ill.) who missed the game with a knee injury.

The Scarlet Knights, who fall to 3-13 overall and 1-6 in the BIG EAST, posted three more aces than the Huskies and one more block. However, UConn (12-7, 3-4 BIG EAST) held the edge in hitting percentage, kills and digs.

Four UConn players recorded double digits in kills, led by Rebecca Murray, who posted a team-high 15. Bridgett Denson-Dorman led all players with 46 assists in the win.

After grabbing the first game 30-25, the Huskies remained hot and ran out to a 22-18 lead in the second game. The Scarlet Knights would hang tough though and won the next five points to grab the lead at 23-22, forcing a UConn timeout. Out of the timeout, the Huskies responded winning six consecutive points to put RU in a 28-23 hole. After the Scarlet Knights won four of the next five points to tighten the set, a Lauren Lamberti kill would end the game at 30-27. UConn would carry the momentum from the extremely tight second game into the third and final game as the Huskies topped RU 30-17 to clinch the match.

Rutgers will continue its weekend home stand as the Scarlet Knights will host St. John's on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Red Storm rank second in the BIG EAST with a 5-1 conference mark.