Box Score Nov. 12, 2014 Final Stats
BLOOMINGTON, IND. (Nov. 12, 2014) - Meeting for the second time in 2014, the Rutgers women's volleyball team returned a visit to Indiana on Wednesday night, falling in three sets at the University Gym. The teams battled from the onset, but Indiana (15-12, 6-9 Big Ten) topped Rutgers (7-21, 0-15 Big Ten) by set scores of 25-20, 27-25 and 25-15.
"We came out strong in the first set, but we made some errors at critical moments," said head coach CJ Werneke. "In the second set, we really competed and found some great opportunities, but just didn't make plays when we needed to. Indiana played very well in the third set and executed at a very high level that we were just unable to match tonight."
Junior middle Mikaela Matthews (San Diego, Calif.) knocked down 10 kills to lead the Scarlet Knights in the outing. Senior setter Nicole Bayer (Concord, Ohio) aided with a team-high 14 assists in the match.
Rutgers maintained a strong front line at the net, out-blocking Indiana 9-6. Junior middle Eden Frazier (Irvine, Calif.) led the pack with six blocks, followed by senior middle Rachel Andreassian (Fredricksburg, Texas) with five stops.
On Indiana's side of the net, senior middle Morgan Leach and junior outside Amelia Anderson tied for the team lead with 14 kills apiece. Sophomore outside Taylor Lebo also added a total of 11 kills to the win, recording a double-double with an additional team-high 14 digs.
In set one, the Scarlet Knights commanded the lead, moving ahead in the count 4-1. The Hoosiers went on a run to tie the set at 4-4, initiating a point-for-point battle. The teams traded points until Indiana was able to establish a 12-7 lead. On back-to-back kills from Matthews and junior outside Alex Lassa (Eagle, Colo.), the Scarlet Knights began to close the gap, making the score 13-10. But Indiana never let up and Rutgers found itself behind 24-19 at Indiana's set point. Matthews scored on a strike to keep the set alive, but the Hoosiers were able to close the first, 25-20.
Rutgers found its rhythm in the second, keeping the score even with Indiana for the entire stanza. Indiana created the largest margin for either team at 21-18. The Scarlet Knights rallied to restore balance in the count at 22-22. With the score 24-24, the teams moved into extended play. RU went up 25-24 in the count, needing just one point to close the set. Indiana responded with a kill to tie the score yet again. The kill gave the Hoosiers the momentum to add two more on to their tally, giving them a 27-25 win in set two.
Indiana continued its run well into the third set, jumping to a 6-2 lead. Rutgers pushed to close the deficit to 10-8 on a three-point run in an attempt to surpass Indiana in the count. The Hoosiers never let up, creating a 17-9 advantage. In the end, Indiana closed set three by a score of 25-15 to win the match.
Up next, Rutgers welcomes Illinois to College Ave. Gym on Sunday, Nov. 16 for the squad's second meeting of the season. The first serve is set for 1 p.m.
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