Box Score Oct. 31, 2014

Final Stats

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Oct. 31, 2014) - The Rutgers women's volleyball team put up a strong fight against No. 14 Nebraska on Friday night at the College Ave. Gym, but were edged by the Huskers in three even sets. The Scarlet Knights kept the stanzas close with final scores of 25-23, 25-21 and 25-18.

"I am really excited for our players. They really came out and competed from point one until the end of the set," said head coach CJ Werneke.
"We are growing and developing, which is all part of the process. To be competitive in this league you have to maintain a high level of play from start to finish of each set and we showed that tonight. We are proving to these teams that we belong. More matches like this and we will be well on our way."

Sophomore middle Lauren Cloyd (Champaign, Ill.) knocked down a team-high 12 kills, while senior setter Nicole Bayer (Concord, Ohio) put up a team-best 25 assists.

Defensively, junior libero Ali Schroeter (Bakersfield, Calif.) maintained a solid performance, pulling up 21 digs from a powerful opposition. Rutgers paced Nebraska in blocks with junior middle Mikaela Matthews (San Diego, Calif.) adding a team-high five stops.

Leading the Huskers, sophomore outside Kadie Rolfzen registered 20 kills. Senior setter Mary Pollmiller recorded a team-best 42 assists in the win.

Rutgers came out firing in set one. The Scarlet Knights grabbed the lead from the onset, quickly creating a 10-7 advantage. Nebraska struggled to catch up, until finding a five-point run to move ahead in the count for the first time in the stanza. RU bounced back, tying it up at 18-18. The score stayed even, but the Huskers held control. The set came down to the wire with both teams tied at 23-23. Ultimately, Nebraska tacked on two more points to claim the first, 25-23.

Moving into the second set, the Huskers jumped to a 5-1 lead. The Scarlet Knights never let up, tying the score 8-8. On a kill from Matthews, RU moved in front of NU, 10-9. From there, the set became a rally with both teams trading point for point. Tied 17-17, Nebraska stacked up four points to gain a 20-17 lead. RU kept up its battle, but fell short by a score of 25-21.

The rally continued in set three with the count remaining balanced well into the stanza. The score was tied seven times before Nebraska created a 10-8 margin. NU's lead did not last long as RU closed the gap to 10-10 with a service ace from freshman setter Talia Holze (Wheaton, Ill.). The Huskers responded by adding on two more to their count, taking a lead that they would not relinquish. After a tough contest, Nebraska escaped with a 25-18 win in the third to close the match.

Rutgers returns to the court tomorrow for a match against Iowa. The game is set for a 7 p.m. start at the College Ave. Gym. Follow Rutgers Athletics on

Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding women's volleyball, follow the program on Twitter @RUvball.