Final Stats

EVANSTON, ILL. (Sept. 26, 2014) - In its Big Ten debut, the Rutgers women's volleyball team put up a tremendous fight before giving up a three-set loss to Northwestern.

"We started out a little tight and overwhelmed, since it was our first Big Ten match," said head coach CJ Werneke. As the match continued, I felt our players became more comfortable and confident. Tonight, we learned a lot about ourselves and our ability to play in this conference. Our staff and our players are excited about building on what we have learned."

Carried by a strong defensive performance, junior libero Ali Schroeter (Bakersfield, Calif.) and freshman outside Meme Fletcher (Overland Park, Kan.) tied for the team lead with 13 digs each. Junior middle Eden Frazier (Irvine, Calif.) paced the Scarlet Knights with four assisted blocks and one solo block.

Offensively, junior middle Mikaela Matthews (San Diego, Calif.) paced the team with seven kills.

Northwestern was led by senior outside Yewande Akanbi with 12 kills. After dropping set one by a large 8-25 margin, Rutgers found its rhythm moving into the second. The Scarlet Knights controlled the lead for a majority of the set. The front line put up a strong wall, generating a challenge for Northwestern's attack. The Wildcats grabbed the lead at 15-14 and never looked back, taking the set 25-16.

Jumping to 5-0 at the start of the third, Rutgers quickly took hold of the third set. The Scarlet Knights kept the lead until the Wildcats were able to create a tie at 15-15. The score stayed tied before Northwestern tacked on five-straight points to move ahead, 22-17. Rutgers answered with three-straight points of their own, bringing the match to 20-23. The Scarlet Knights added one more point to the count before dropping the set, 21-25, and the match.

Rutgers continues its first weekend of conference play on the road at No. 16 Illinois tomorrow at 8 p.m. Illinois defeated fellow Big Ten newcomer Maryland, 3-0, in Friday's matchup.

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