Rutgers Volleyball Opens BIG EAST Play at WVU, Pitt
Sep 22 | Women's Volleyball
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (September 22, 2011) - Rutgers University volleyball will open up the BIG EAST schedule this weekend, traveling to West Virginia Friday (7 p.m.) and Pittsburgh Sunday (2 p.m.). This will be the 17th year of BIG EAST play for the Scarlet Knights.
Both matches will be available through GameTracker, with the WVU contest being streamed for free at MSNSportsnet.com.
The top eight teams in the conference standings will qualify for the BIG EAST Championships scheduled for Nov. 18-20 at Marquette University.
"It is always a battle at home or on the road," said fourth-year head coach CJ Werneke, referring the BIG EAST. "We are fortunate to have a split schedule this year with seven at home and seven on the road. I think from top to bottom, the conference is very competitive with some stronger teams and some that are trying to improve. Each night presents a different task and challenge and we have to be prepared as much as possible to compete in a great conference."
This will be the second time in history that Rutgers has opened the BIG EAST schedule at West Virginia, with the last time being a RU five-set win in Morgantown on Sept. 23, 2005. The Mountaineers won last year's matchup in New Brunswick in three sets behind a balanced attack and a .276 team hitting percentage. WVU owns the all-time series 23-19.
"We are excited to start BIG EAST play," continued Werneke. "We have been focusing on our first opponent, West Virginia, and we see some things hopefully we can take advantage of. In order to reach our goal of the BIG EAST Tournament, we have to win some on the road and this is our first opportunity. We are excited as a staff and prepared as a program, looking forward to see what happens on Friday in Morgantown."
This year's West Virginia team (2-9) has dropped the last 18 sets it has played. So far, WVU has played in two tournaments (WVU Invitational, Kentucky Invitational) and made a trip to Texas to play UT - San Antonio, Texas A&M and Baylor. Halle Kearney leads the team with 2.26 kills/set, while Serinna Russo ranks third in the BIG EAST with 5.52 digs/set. Head coach Jill Kramer is in her second season, finishing ninth (5-9) in the conference last year.
RU's road trip will continue in Pittsburgh for a Sunday afternoon match at the Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers (10-4) enter the weekend with the best nonconference record in the BIG EAST. Pitt has hosted three home tournaments in addition to traveling to Orlando for the Residence Inn/UCF Challenge this season. RU and Pitt have two common opponents, both defeating Howard and losing to Penn State.
Monica Wignot (187) and Kiesha Leggs (164) lead the Panthers in kills, while setter Lindsey Zitzke (10.76 assists/set) has been named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week twice this season. Head coach Toby Rens is in his 12th year at the helm of the program.
Pitt leads the all-time series with Rutgers, 25-6, having won in three sets at the College Ave Gym last season. The Scarlet Knights last beat the Panthers on Nov. 5, 2004 and last won in Pittsburgh on Nov. 5, 2000. The series dates back to RU's inaugural season of volleyball, 1977.
Rutgers (6-10) enters the weekend having lost four of five, including three matches at the Hampton Inn Classic at Penn State University last weekend. Sophomore Brittany Bozzini (Saratoga, Calif.) was named to the All-Tournament Team with 31 digs and 29 kills on the weekend.
Even with the losses, Werneke believes his team gained confidence going against some top competition.
"I walked away with far more positives than negatives," said Werneke on playing No. 5 Penn State. "It was a great atmosphere to play in and we gained some confidence, knowing that we did score some real points. To know that we scored in double-digits all three games should give us confidence heading into the BIG EAST. If we can execute like we did against the No. 5 team in the nation, then we should be able to do that at a higher level against teams in the BIG EAST."
Junior Stephanie Zielinski (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) leads the Scarlet with 10.19 assists per set, ranking sixth in the BIG EAST and 83rd in the NCAA. Zielinski also paces the team with 27 service aces (0.44 sa/s) - fourth-most per set in the league and 53rd nationally.
Seniors Hannah Curtis (Wasilla, Alaska) and Kallie Pence (College Station, Texas) lead the team with 153 kills and 222 digs, respectively.
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