BIG EAST Battle for New Jersey: Rutgers, Seton Hall
Oct 13 | Women's Volleyball
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (October 13, 2011) - Rutgers University volleyball will take on Seton Hall University on Friday night at 6 p.m. at the College Ave Gym for state and conference bragging rights. It will be the 34th meeting between the schools that are approximately 25 miles away from each other.
The match will be broadcast on RVision via ScarletKnights.com with Danny Breslauer and Adam Helfgott on the call. Interact with the broadcasters by using the hashtag #RVision during the match. GameTracker will also be available on the main Rutgers website.
"Anytime you have your in-state rival it is an exciting week and an even more exciting match and atmosphere," said head coach CJ Werneke. "We are focused on what we can control on our side of the court, addressing some offensive things that we need to get better at to compete and put us in a good position to win."
Last year's RU-SHU matchup was one of the more exciting contests of the season for the Scarlet Knights. Down two sets to zero, Rutgers rallied to win the next three to claim a dramatic victory at the College Ave Gym. Stephanie Zielinski (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) recorded a career-high 21 digs to go with 46 assists.
Rutgers leads the all-time series against Seton Hall, 18-15, in a rivalry that goes back to 1984. The Scarlet Knights snapped a five-match losing streak to the Pirates with last season's win.
Most recently, RU (7-15, 0-5 BIG EAST) is coming off a weekend with losses to Cincinnati and Louisville. Rutgers started off strong versus UC, taking the opening set behind six service aces and a strong defensive effort against the defending regular season conference champion. However, the Bearcats responded to win the next three sets to take the match. Sophomore Tiffany Regmund (Bryan, Texas) led RU with 11 kills, making it 10 matches that she has recorded double-digit slammers this season. Louisville - the three-time defending league champion - was tested by the Scarlet Knights at times on Sunday, but used their size up front and 19 kills from BIG EAST Player of the Year candidate Lola Arslanbekova to sweep the match.
Senior Hannah Curtis (Wasilla, Alaska) leads the team with 194 kills on the season (2.37 k/s), while Zielinski is averaging 9.82 assists per set (eighth in the BIG EAST). Sophomore Sheridan Taylor (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) has played well at home this season, filing .31 more kills per set in matches at the College Ave Gym this season than at other sites. She also ranks seventh in aces per set during conference matches this season (0.44).
Seton Hall (13-7, 4-1 BIG EAST) competed against the same teams over the weekend, dropping to Louisville and winning against Cincinnati. The Pirates, off to their best BIG EAST start in program history, have won 10 of the last 12 matches. Meghan Matusiak is second in the league with 3.82 kills per set this season, while Alyssa Warren is second in the conference in digs per set (5.51) and seventh in aces per set (0.36). The Pirates have been particularly stingy on defense in BIG EAST matches, ranking second in opponent hitting percentage (.148) and third in digs per set (16.39).
