NEWARK, Del. (September 3, 2010) – The Rutgers (2-2) volleyball team opened play at the Delaware Invitational by dropping East Carolina (0-4), 3-1. The Scarlet Knights were led by a balanced attack which featured key contributions from Hannah Curtis (Wasilla, Alaska), Alex Jones (Chesapeake, Va.) and Emma Chrystal (Kalamazoo, Mich.).

After dropping a sloppy first set, 25-13, Rutgers rallied to take the second set 25-15. The Scarlet Knights dominated the frame closing it out with six consecutive points to tie the match and give RU the momentum heading into the break.

The teams came out from the break playing back and forth volleyball with neither team gaining a significant advantage until Rutgers went on a 9-4 run to push its lead to 18-11. From there, the Scarlet Knights continued their strong play and closed out a 25-18 victory with a thunderous kill from Caitlin Saxton (Encinitas, Calif.).

ECU came out strong to start the fourth frame using a consistent attack to build a 13-11 lead. The Pirates were unable to keep the momentum as Rutgers took over after running off seven-straight points to build an 18-13 lead. The lead proved to be insurmountable as the Scarlet Knights kept up their high level of play and closed out the match with a 25-18 victory on another Saxton kill.    

Rutgers returns to action tomorrow when it faces Sam Houston State (10 a.m.) and Delaware (7 p.m.) to close out the Delaware Invitational.