NEW BRUNSWICK N.J. (November 12, 2011) - Playing in front of a contingent of program alumni, Rutgers University volleyball played one of its best matches of the season, sweeping the University of Connecticut on Saturday afternoon at the College Ave Gym. It was the fourth three-set win of the season for the Scarlet Knights.
RU won by the scores of 25-21, 25-20 and 25-21 to improve to 9-12, 2-11 BIG EAST, while the Huskies drop to 14-14, 4-9 BIG EAST on the season. The Scarlet Knights controlled the match throughout, never trailing by more than three points in any set.
"We put a lot of pressure on them defensively with how we passed and serve-received today," said head coach CJ Werneke after the match. "We found a way, it wasn't pretty at times, but found a way to separate. For the most part, our offense was in rhythm because our passing was in system. We were able to have multiple attackers come at them and I think it was too much for them to handle."
Senior Hannah Curtis (Wasilla, Alaska) and junior Alex Jones (Chesapeake, Va.) - both middle blockers - led Rutgers on offense with 10 kills each. Sophomore Brittany Bozzini (Saratoga, Calif.) and freshman Sofi Cucuz (Crown Point, Ind.) added eight kills apiece to help the Rutgers attack to a .283 hitting percentage for the day.
Junior setter Stephanie Zielinski (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) tallied 40 assists to bring her season total up to 1,104 - seventh-most in a campaign in Rutgers history.
Defensively, sophomore Brittany Bozzini (Saratoga, Calif.) totaled 15 digs to lead the Scarlet Knights, while senior Kallie Pence (College Station, Texas) and junior Kelsey Ross (Orinda, Calif.) each racked up 10 digs of their own.
RU also used its size up front to accumulate 11 blocks compared to two from UConn. Rutgers additionally had more kills (46-25) and digs (56-53) than the Huskies.
Rutgers concludes the season tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. against St. John's for "Senior Day." The program will recognize Curtis and Pence for their contributions to the program prior to the start of the match at the College Ave Gym.
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