UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (September 16, 2011) – Rutgers University volleyball dropped the opening match of the Hampton Inn Classic, 3-2, to Florida Gulf Coast on Friday at Rec Hall on the campus of Penn State University. It was the first-ever meeting between the Scarlet Knights and Eagles in volleyball.

Rutgers drops to 6-8 on the season, while Florida Gulf Coast improves to 4-6. The Scarlet Knights are now 2-2 in five-set matches.

“I think it was one of those matches where we beat ourselves,” said head coach CJ Werneke after the match. “We have had some matches where we have been inconsistent and that makes it tough to win.”

In a back-and-forth match, the Scarlet Knights had a chance in the fifth set with the score tied at 11, but the Eagles took four of the next five points to clinch the match.

Three Scarlet Knights recorded double-digit kills, including sophomore Sheridan Taylor (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) (14), sophomore Brittany Bozzini (Saratoga, Calif.) (14) and freshman Sofi Cucuz (Crown Point, Ind.) (11). Cucuz has registered at least 10 kills in five-straight matches.

Defensively, Bozzini picked up her third double-double of the season with 15 digs, while freshman Alyssa Monka (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) tied her career high with 15 digs as well.

It was a rough start to the match for the Scarlet Knights, as the Eagles took the first eight points of the contest. RU responded by winning eight of the next 10 rallies, but the deficit was too much as the FGCU took the first set, 25-19.

RU took control of the match by winning the second and third sets 25-19 and 25-21, respectively to pull ahead.

However, Rutgers fell behind in the fourth, 6-1, and could not recover to force the match to a deciding fifth set.

“It is very tough to dig yourself out of a hole at this level when you are down that many points to start a game,” said Werneke. “We need to be more consistent.”

Junior setter Stephanie Zielinski (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) put up 50 assists on the day, making it five times that she has reached that plateau this season.

Kaitlin Holm and Jill Hopper led the match with 16 kills each for the victorious Eagles.

The Scarlet Knights next face the highest-ranked team on its schedule, No. 5 Penn State, at 10 a.m. Saturday morning. The Nittany Lions have won the last four NCAA National Championships. Later on in the day, RU will take on Long Island at 4 p.m. to close out the tournament.

“I think we have to find a way to elevate our game and compete at that higher level for every point,” said Werneke looking ahead to Saturday. “That means grinding out every point. I am not so worried about the results, but more worried about the consistency about how we approach each point.”