CHAMPAIGN, ILL.(Sept. 27, 2014) - Wrapping up its opening weekend of Big Ten play, the Rutgers women's volleyball team dropped three straight sets to No. 16 Illinois on Saturday night at Huff Hall. Despite the loss, Rutgers is beginning to assimilate to the new competition.

"I thought we did some really good things tonight," said head coach CJ Werneke. "We had a pretty good offensive performance, especially as Illinois is ranked 16th in the country. We are getting better as we play more in the Big Ten and it is an exciting feeling for our players and our program."

Freshman outside Meme Fletcher (Overland Park, Kan.) and sophomore middle Lauren Cloyd (Champaign, Ill.) led RU with eight kills each. Senior setter Nicole Bayer (Concord, Ohio) recorded 23 assists in the match.

Illinois had a total of three players with double-digit kills, led by senior hitter Liz McMahon with 13.

Rutgers started the night off slow, struggling to find its groove. After dropping the first set 15-25, the Scarlet Knights began to settle into the match in the second set. The teams traded points at the start. With the count at 6-9, the Fighting Illni posted four straight points to expand its lead to 13-6. RU continued to tack on points, but Illinois maintained the lead with a solid margin, closing set three with an identical score of 15-25.

The Scarlet Knights rallied at the beginning of the third set, keeping the count balanced, 9-9. Illinois added five-straight points to bring the score to 14-9. Rutgers did not let up, bringing the set back within reach at 13-18. Despite their efforts late in the match, the Scarlet Knights were unable to get ahead, dropping the contest with a third set score of 15-25.

Rutgers returns to action on Friday, Oct. 3, hosting Purdue for its Big Ten home opener.

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