Volleyball Travels West to No. 9 Nebraska, Iowa
Oct 29 | Women's Volleyball
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Oct. 29, 2015) - The Rutgers volleyball team remains on the road with trips to No. 9 Nebraska and Iowa. The Scarlet Knights will face the Cornhuskers on Friday, Oct. 30 in an 8 p.m. ET match before taking on the Hawkeyes on Saturday, Oct. 31 for a 8:30 p.m. contest.
Friday's match at Nebraska can be streamed live on BTN Plus. More information on how to subscribe can be found here.
| Rutgers (4-18, 1-9 Big Ten) at No. 9 Nebraska (16-4, 7-3 Big Ten) | |
| Date | Friday, Oct. 30 |
| Time | 8:00 p.m. EST |
| Location | Lincoln, Neb. | Devaney Center |
| Live Stream | BTN Plus |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Nebraska |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Nebraska |
| :Rutgers (4-18, 1-9 Big Ten) at Iowa (10-13, 0-10 Big Ten) | |
| Date | Saturdya, Oct. 31 |
| Time | 8:30 p.m. EST |
| Location | Iowa City, Iowa | Carver-Hawkeye Arena |
| Game Notes | Rutgers | Iowa |
| Statistics | Rutgers | Iowa |
RU'S LAST TIME OUT
Last week, the Rutgers volleyball team picked up its first Big Ten victory over Maryland in a five-set thriller on Wednesday night. The Scarlet Knights and Terps traded set wins before RU rallied a 15-12 comeback win in the deciding fifth to secure the win, snapping a 10-match skid. In the rematch on Saturday, UMD came away with a four-set win to balance the series for the season.
The Scarlet Knights boasted the stat sheet in both matches against the Terps. Sophomore outside Meme Fletcher (Overland Park, Kan.) led the way with double-doubles in both matches, averaging 4.33 kills per set and 2.67 digs per frame across the series. Fletcher ranks fourth in the league with 3.92 kills per set on the season. Senior setter Anna Sudbury (Tomahawk, Wisc.) had a solid weekend on the court, pacing the team with 49 assists, a career-high five service aces and a season-high seven blocks to tie for the team lead. Sudbury carried the momentum into the second match, nearly eclipsing a triple-double with 32 assists, nine digs and another season-high eight blocks.
Defensively, senior middle Eden Frazier (Irvine Calif.) led the Scarlet Knights with 16 total blocks, while tying for the team lead with seven in the win over the Terps and tying her career-high with nine in the rematch. Classmate and defensive specialist Ronnie Komisarek (San Manteo, Calif.) posted a career-high 22 digs in the victory.
SCOUTING NO. 9 NEBRASKA
Nebraska enters the weekend after dropping consecutive four-set matches to then-No. 9 Minnesota and No. 16 Wisconsin. The losses come after the Cornhuskers had registered 13 victories in their last 14 matches, highlighted by a win over No. 1 Penn State on Oct. 2, which snapped a 33-match win streak for the Nittany Lions.
As a team, Nebraska leads the Big Ten in kills per set (14.32) and ranks fourth in hitting percentage (.256). Kadie Rolfzen leads the squad with 3.20 kills per set, followed by Mikaela Foecke with an average of 3.04. Amber Rolfzen sits atop the conference in blocks per set (1.55), while Kelly Hunter ranks second in assists per set (11.43). Head coach John Cook is in his 16th season at the helm.
SERIES VERSUS THE CORNHUSKERS
Rutgers and Nebraska met for the first time in 2014, as the squads competed as conference foes. In the contest that took place on Oct. 31, the then-No. 14 Cornhuskers topped the Scarlet Knights by the slim set margins of 25-21, 25-21 and 25-18.
SCOUTING IOWA
Iowa enters the weekend in search of its first conference victory of the season. The Hawkeyes had entered conference action with a 10-3 record from nonconference play, including a 3-1 win over then-No. 25 Texas A&M. Most recently, Iowa suffered straight-set losses to two ranked opponents in then-No. 16 Wisconsin and No. 9 Minnesota.
The Hawkeyes are led by Lauren Brobst with 3.36 kills per set, a mark that ranks ninth in the conference. Loxley Keala ranks fifth in the league and first on the team with 11.00 assists per set. Annika Olsen comes in at second in the Big Ten with 4.76 digs per set. Head coach Bond Shymansky is in his second-year with the program.
Before hosting Rutgers on Saturday, Iowa will face Maryland on Friday night.
SERIES VERSUS THE HAWKEYES
Rutgers trails Iowa, 2-0, in the all-time series after meetings in 1987 and 2014. Most recently, the Scarlet Knights and the Hawkeyes battled in a four-set showdown as conference foes last season. RU dropped the first two sets by scores of 25-15 and 25-15 before rallying to a 27-25 victory in set three to stay alive. Despite the comeback, Iowa responded with a 25-16 win in the fourth to take the match.
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-RU-
