Final Stats

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. (Nov. 19, 2014) - The Rutgers women's volleyball team fell in three sets to No. 16 Purdue
on Wednesday night at the Holloway Gymnasium. Meeting for the second time this season, the Scarlet Knights (7-23, 0-17 Big Ten) were topped by scores of 25-16, 25-21 and 25-17 on the Boilermakers' (22-7, 12-5 Big Ten) home turf this time around.

"I thought we played well tonight, especially defensively," said head coach CJ Werneke. "We played with a lot of fight and effort. Despite the loss, we are getting better and our players and staff can see that progress."

Rutgers found power behind Micaela Anderson's (La Canada, Calif.) arm for the second consecutive match, as the sophomore outside knocked down a team-high 10 kills. Senior setterNicole Bayer (Concord, Ohio) put up a team-best 18 assists to fuel the offense.

Five different Scarlet Knights teamed up to create a strong wall at the net, holding back Purdue's leading hitters. Rutgers held Big Ten kills leader Annie Drews to merely five kills in the match. Junior libero Ali Schroeter (Bakersfield, Calif.) added to RU's defensive performance with a match-high 13 digs.

Leading Purdue, Val Nichol recorded a triple-double, posting 13 kills, 22 assists and 11 digs. The senior outside averaged a .522 hitting percentage to lift the Boilermakers over the Scarlet Knights.

RU started set one with a 3-1 advantage, but Purdue moved ahead on back-to-back kills from junior outside Sam Epenesa. Junior middle Mikaela Matthews (San Diego, Calif.) shut down the run with a kill for the Scarlet Knights, but the Boilermakers continued to rack up the points as they went on to create an early 11-6 lead. Ultimately, the first set would go to the Boilermakers by a score of 25-16.

Moving into the second set, Rutgers found its spark behind a powerful front line at the net. Matthews and sophomore middle Lauren Cloyd (Champaign, Ill.) denied Epenesa on an attack to tie the set 3-3. The teams went on a rally, trading points upon each serve. A block from Matthews and junior outside Megan Stephenson (Burbank, Calif.) gave RU its first lead of the set at 6-5.

With the score 8-8, Purdue went on a four-point run to establish the biggest margin of the set at 12-8. The Boilermakers held control, but the Scarlet Knights never let up their fight, closing the deficit to 22-20. Purdue continued to move ahead 24-20, but Anderson knocked down a kill to keep RU alive. However, a strike from Epenesa closed the second stanza for good with a final score of 25-20.

Set three began as another rally, as the teams went point for point. Purdue jumped to a 14-9 lead, setting the tone for the stanza. The Scarlet Knights continued to inch up in the count, but the Boilermakers rallied on five straight points to create a 19-11 advantage. Rutgers found a burst late in the set on a four-point run fueled by two kills from Anderson to bring the score to 23-17. Purdue responded with consecutive kills from Danielle Cuttino and Drews to close the match in three.

The Scarlet Knights return to action on Saturday Nov. 22 for its final road trip of the season, as Rutgers travels to East Lansing, Mich. to take on Michigan State. Match is set for 7 p.m.

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.

-RU-