Volleyball Travels to No. 12 Purdue
Nov 18 | Women's Volleyball
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Nov. 18, 2014) - The Rutgers women's volleyball team is set for a mid-week trip to West Lafayette, Ind. for a matchup against Purdue on Wednesday, Nov. 19. The match is set to start at 7 p.m. at the Holloway Gymnasium.
GAME NOTES
No. 16 Purdue - Nov. 19, 7 p.m.
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LAST TIME OUT
Rutgers (7-22, 0-16 Big Ten) fell to then-No. 12 Illinois on Sunday afternoon at the College Ave. Gym. After falling in the first set of the match, Rutgers rallied through the second to keep the margin tight with a score of 25-23. The Scarlet Knights took control of the third set, creating an early 16-9 lead. RU kept control as the Fighting Illini fought to close their deficit. Illinois moved ahead in the count at 20-19, igniting a point for point showdown. In the end, the Illini topped the Scarlet Knights, 25-23, to win the contest.
Sophomore outside Micaela Anderson (La Canada, Calif.) put in a season-best performance, registering season highs in kills (11) and digs (9) to lead the team. Junior outside Megan Stephenson (Burbank, Calif.) followed with a season-best in kills (7). Middles Mikaela Matthews (San Diego, Calif.) and Lauren Cloyd (Champaign, Ill.) notched two blocks apiece to put the Scarlet Knights ahead of the Fighting Illini in the blocks category.
SCOUTING PURDUE
Purdue (21-7, 11-5 Big Ten) swept both of its opponents at home last week, defeating Maryland and Northwestern in three sets. The Boilermakers' match against the Terrapins resulted in set scores of 25-15, 25-18 and 25-17, while their match against the Wildcats went 25-21, 25-17 and 25-17. Purdue holds a record of 12-3 in the Holloway Gym this season.
Following the team's pair of sweeps, junior libero Amanda Neill was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Neill averaged 4.33 digs per set, while also recording four service aces. On the offensive side, Big Ten kills leader Annie Drews maintains an average of 3.99 kills per stanza. The junior outside paces the Boilermakers with 383 strikes on the year.
Head coach Dave Shondell is in his 12th season at the helm of the program.
SERIES VS. PURDUE
Purdue holds a 3-0 advantage in the all-time series over Rutgers. The squads last met back in October, when the Scarlet Knights hosted the No. 15 Boilermakers for their first Big Ten matchup at the College Ave. Gym.
In the contest, RU dropped the first two sets by scores of 25-20 and 25-14 before coming alive in the third. The teams went point for point throughout the set, but RU's late spark was not enough to surpass Purdue. The Scarlet Knights fell by the small margin of 25-23 to end the match.
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