PISCATAWAY, N.J. (October 15, 2010) –The Rutgers volleyball team (9-11, 1-5 BIG EAST) rallied from a two set deficit to defeat in-state and BIG EAST rival Seton Hall (8-14, 2-4 BIG EAST) this evening at College Ave. Gym. The Scarlet Knights were led by their captains, Stephanie Zielinski (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and Caitlin Saxton (Encinitas, Calif.), who each recorded double-doubles in the win.
In the first set, the teams came out playing back and forth volleyball with neither team being able to take a lead of more than three until the Pirates closed out the set, 25-22, on a kill from Sarah Osmun.
The second set saw the Pirates come out on fire scoring 20 of the first 26 points in the set. Rutgers and Seton Hall played even the rest of the way but it wasn’t enough for RU to overcome the large deficit as they fell 25-11.
RU used the break to regroup and came out strong to start the third set jumping out to a 17-11 lead behind a balanced offensive attack and strong serving from Hannah Curtis (Wasilla, Alaska). The Pirates were able to cut the lead to three at 22-19 but, following a timeout, Rutgers ran off three consecutive points, capped off by a thunderous kill by Alex Jones (Chesapeake, Va.), to take its first set 25-19.
The Scarlet Knights carried their momentum gained in the third into the fourth set again jumping out to a quick lead, 17-10, behind a strong serving performance from Jones. SHU again rallied to cut the lead to three but Rutgers regained momentum on a Lauren Voss (Hartland, Wis.) kill and went on to close out the set, 25-20, on a SHU attacking error.
The Pirates didn’t let RU’s momentum from the prior two sets get to them as they started strong in the pivotal fifth set working their way to an early 4-1 lead. Rutgers responded quickly using a Jones kill and clutch serving from freshman Brittany Bozzini (Saratoga, Calif.) to go on a 5-0 run of their own to take the lead back from the Pirates.
From there, the teams went back to playing even volleyball with neither team being able to gain the upper hand until RU got a clutch kill from Zielinski to push their lead to three at 13-10. Zielinski, who was at 44 assists at the time, saw an opening in the Pirate D and placed a perfectly timed attack between a pair of diving defenders to get the Scarlet Knights within two points of the completing the comeback.
SHU would not back down scoring the next two points to cut the lead to one at 13-12, but RU got to match point on a kill from senior Emma Chrystal (Portage, Mich.). The Pirates scored the next point to make the score 14-13, setting up a crucial point. Rutgers head coach CJ Werneke decided to take a timeout to rally the troops and set up a play. After a long rally highlighted by a pair of clutch digs by Kallie Pence (College Station, Texas), the Scarlet Knights were able to close out the set and match, 15-13, on a thunderous kill by Chrystal which was set up by a beautiful set from Zielinski, her 46thof the match.
The win marked RU’s first BIG EAST win of the season and its first victory over Seton Hall since the 2004 season.
The Scarlet Knights return to action on Friday, Oct. 22, when they battle BIG EAST rival St. John’s in a 7 p.m. matchup in Queens, N.Y.
